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The Cuban State Security called the activist Anamely Ramos this Thursday, with Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara on the other end of the line, to inquire about the status of the humanitarian parole process that their group is managing towards the United States, according to what the activist revealed on Facebook.
The call came from an unknown number and was on speakerphone, indicating that the agents were monitoring the conversation in real time.
"I just spoke with Luis Manuel. He called me from a State Security cell phone, unknown number, and the call was on speaker. They wanted to know how the requested parole process is going," wrote Ramos.
The call this Thursday confirms that the regime is actively interested in speeding up the artist's departure from the country.
Yanelys Núñez, in charge of Otero Alcántara's work, said a few weeks ago that she did not rule out forced exile as a fate for the artist once he completed his sentence for participating in the protests on July 11: "It's a possibility, because they don't want Luis on the streets, especially in a Havana that is completely mobilized by its citizens."
The process that manages the artist's environment is apparently an individual humanitarian parole through Form I-131 submitted to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the only option available since the Trump administration canceled the CHNV collective program for Cubans in March 2025.
"For several weeks, we have been working on a specific parole for Luis to have a way out, because we know there is no other possibility for Luis Manuel within Cuba," Núñez explained.
Anamely Ramos stated that during the call, Otero Alcántara was unable to reveal his location and that he possibly did not know it accurately himself.
This is the first direct sign of life from the artist since he was taken out of the Guanajay prison on Tuesday, July 7 in a strong operation, two days before the official end of his five-year sentence.
Since that transfer, no one from his close circle had been able to see or speak with him. On Wednesday, July 8, agents promised the family they would take him to his home in El Cerro, but that never happened, and Ramos was categorical: “Right now Luis Manuel is missing. He is not free. He is not released. He is in the hands of State Security”.
This Thursday, the five-year sentence imposed on Otero Alcántara officially comes to an end, confirmed by the Supreme People's Court in April 2026 after rejecting a habeas corpus appeal filed by Cubalex. The regime did not grant him any reductions for good behavior nor included him in the presidential pardon of that same month.
The transfer from Guanajay occurred in the context of an acute social crisis: blackouts of up to 87 consecutive hours in Havana, shortages of water and gas, and nighttime protests with pots and pans. On the same day, the United States ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, displayed the artist's photograph during an extraordinary session of the General Assembly and stated that "his crime was being an artist."
Ramos urged those following the case to avoid speculation: "We continue to ask that no one jumps to conclusions, as so much speculation does not help maintain accurate information and calm. Luis needs not only our solidarity but also our responsibility."
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