The activist Yanelys Núñez, a close friend of the political prisoner Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, issued a strong warning this Wednesday about the situation in Cuba. "A single spark can instantly provoke another July 11." She made this statement during an interview with Tania Costa, in the context of the crisis that arose after Otero Alcántara was moved from the Guanajay prison without informing his relatives about his whereabouts.
Núñez explained that the Cuban regime is facing not only the pressure of the sanctions from the Trump Administration, but also the extreme exhaustion of its own population. "I believe they should be much more afraid of the Cuban people than even these sanctions that Trump is imposing, because the Cuban people are deeply exhausted," he stated.
In that context, he analyzed the recent statements by El Cangrejo (Raúl Guillermo Rodriguez Castro, grandson of Raúl Castro) regarding the possible release of political prisoners "under conditions." For Núñez, this is a calculated maneuver. "They are buying time. That's how I see it. They are trying to send a calm message to the Trump Administration, although later he says he will not yield any of the gains of the revolution."
The activist acknowledged, however, that the regime's statements imply an implicit shift. “There is a recognition that certain individuals are imprisoned for political reasons, even though they have never acknowledged it.” She added that the regime “is cornered, not only by these recent sanctions and restrictions imposed by the administration but also by the people who can no longer endure it.”
The transfer of Otero Alcántara from the maximum-security prison in Guanajay took place on Tuesday around five in the afternoon, carried out by State Security agents. Since then, the artist has not communicated with family or friends, and it is believed that he remains detained in a protocol house of the regime. His sentence officially ends this Thursday, July 9, 2026, and activists are demanding his immediate release unconditionally.
The case of Otero Alcántara gained greater international visibility on Tuesday, when the U.S. Ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, showcased his photograph before the General Assembly during a direct confrontation with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla. "His crime was being an artist," Waltz said while displaying the image of the founder of the San Isidro Movement.
At the end of the interview, Núñez shared a message for the Havana neighborhood that lends its name to the movement he co-founded with Otero Alcántara in 2018. "It's a humble neighborhood, very generous, it's a very loving neighborhood that supports its artists, supports its opponents," he said, expressing his hope to see the artist free soon. "Let's see if we can finally get Luis Manuel back on the streets of San Isidro soon, in a free Cuba."
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