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The Cuban rapper Andrés Matos Alcántara, known as Matos MC K-LIBRE, was transferred this Saturday to the Valle Grande prison under precautionary measures, as reported by the Cultural Rights Observatory based on information received from his family.
The authorities accuse him of public disorder for allegedly having led the mass protests and demonstrations that shook the Barbosa neighborhood in the Playa municipality of Havana between the night of June 18 and 19, sparked by power outages that lasted over 30 consecutive hours.
Matos MC K-LIBRE was arrested on June 25 after responding to a police summons at the Siboney unit in Playa, without any arrest warrant being issued.
His wife, Ariacna Garcés Gómez, reported that the officers acted without legal backing: "They haven't presented any arrest or search warrant. What they did was handcuff him and put him in a patrol car."
Garcés Gómez also specified what the regime's main accusation is: "They say that Matos is the leader of all the protests and loud protests happening here in Barbosa."
The process has been marked by irregularities from the start: the summons led to detention without legal documentation, the family took several days to receive information about the charges, and the information regarding his legal situation has been scarce and delayed.
The Observatory on Cultural Rights warned that this deliberate delay "obstructs access to legal defense, increases the vulnerability of the detained person, and places the family in a situation of forced uncertainty."
The health situation of the 39-year-old artist exacerbates the seriousness of the detention: he suffers from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and type 1 diabetes. Initially, the authorities refused to accept his medications, and his wife was only able to deliver metformin and a salbutamol inhaler after presenting medical documentation.
"Matos is a sick man. When he suffers a respiratory crisis, he depends on oxygen and needs to take metformin daily," emphasized Garcés Gómez.
The NGO Cubalex activated an urgent alert, classifying the case as a “possible short-term enforced disappearance” and submitted a complaint to the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances, which on June 29 activated the Urgent Action with file AU No. 2345/2026, giving the Cuban regime until July 14, 2026 to report the exact location of the detainee, the formal charges, and guarantees of access to defense and medical attention.
The Valle Grande prison, located in the municipality of La Lisa, has been the subject of multiple complaints regarding inhumane conditions: extreme overcrowding, lack of mattresses, infestations, water shortages, and mistreatment of political prisoners.
Matos MC K-LIBRE is a recognized figure in Cuban underground rap known for political protest, and is a member of the collective Los Míos 23. His work includes songs such as "Madre," "Temporada de Huracanes," and "Ineptos (Cuba Libre)," which have denounced censorship and repression by the regime.
The arrest occurs amid a wave of protests that recorded 107 demonstrations in June across Cuba, with Havana as the epicenter, according to the Cuban Conflict Observatory.
The Observatory of Cultural Rights demanded clear information regarding the artist's legal situation, effective access to defense, communication with his family, respect for his physical and psychological integrity, and his immediate release, with appeals directed to UNESCO, the European Union, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, and Amnesty International.
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