The activist and art curator Anamely Ramos announced this Thursday that she managed to speak briefly with the artist and political prisoner Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, who contacted her from a state security cell phone with an unknown number and the call on speakerphone.
"I just spoke with Luis Manuel. He called me from a State Security mobile phone, number unknown, and the call was on speaker," Ramos wrote on Facebook, marking the first direct sign of life from the artist since regime agents took him out of the Guanajay prison in Artemisa last Tuesday.
The reason for the call, according to Ramos, was that the agents wanted to know the status of the parole process requested for Otero Alcántara to travel to the United States.
Before answering that question, Ramos asked the artist how he was doing and where he was. In response to the first question, Otero Alcántara replied that he was "fine," using the tone that, as she noted, is typically used to indicate that one is doing well "under the circumstances." In response to the second question, he said he could not reveal his location, possibly because he himself did not know it exactly.
"Listening to Luis's voice in a moment like this is something very significant. But at the same time, it does not alleviate the repression or violence, first and foremost against him at this moment, but also against all Cubans for such a long time," Ramos expressed.
"What we have lived and continue to live is not normal and it is not fair. And that is why we must cry out until the end: for complete freedom and for complete justice," he stated.
Ramos confirmed that the parole process to the United States is ongoing and that Otero Alcántara will remain "in that unknown place until it is resolved."
"The Cuban regime wants him out. The regime has taken over our country and uses all of us to secure its hold," warned the activist, urging the community not to jump to conclusions or speculate: "Luis needs not only our solidarity but also our responsibility."
The call came two days after State Security agents took Otero Alcántara out of the Guanajay prison in a strong operation, without informing his family or close friends. Since then, his whereabouts have been completely unknown: he did not appear at his home in Cerro, nor in San Isidro, nor at the house of any close acquaintances.
On Wednesday, agents promised the family to take him home to Cerro, a promise that was never fulfilled. That same day, Ramos declared: "Right now, Luis Manuel is missing. He is not free. He is not released. He is in the hands of State Security somewhere in Havana."
This July 9, the deadline for the five-year sentence imposed on the artist for his participation in the protests of July 11, 2021, will officially be reached. The regime did not grant him a reduced sentence for good behavior nor include him in the presidential pardons of January 2025 and April 2026.
The artist's environment acknowledges that there is no viable way out for him within Cuba. A few days ago, Yanelys Núñez, who is responsible for managing his work, warned that the regime might attempt to send him directly into forced exile, a practice already used against other opponents.
The case has generated significant international pressure: on Tuesday, the United States Ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, displayed a photograph of Otero Alcántara during an extraordinary session of the General Assembly and stated that “his crime was being an artist”. Amnesty International recognizes him as a prisoner of conscience and has repeatedly demanded his immediate and unconditional release.
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