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Amnesty International demanded on Thursday the "immediate and unconditional" release of Cuban artist and prisoner of conscience Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, whose five-year sentence ended on July 9, but who remains in state custody with the authorities having not officially disclosed his whereabouts.
In a statement shared on social media, the organization addressed its demand to the leader Miguel Díaz-Canel and warned that, as long as the State does not disclose the whereabouts of the activist or allow contact with his family, his situation constitutes enforced disappearance.
"While the Cuban government does not officially inform where he is and does not allow direct contact with his family, Luis Manuel is in a situation of enforced disappearance," stated Amnesty International.
Released from prison and without a trace
Otero Alcántara was taken out on July 7, around 5:00 PM, from the maximum-security prison of Guanajay, in Artemisa, during an operation by State Security that his family was not informed about.
Since then, he has not returned to his home in the Havana municipality of El Cerro or to the San Isidro neighborhood, where a significant part of his closest circle resides, and the authorities have not provided public information regarding his whereabouts.
This Thursday, activist Anamely Ramos was able to have a brief phone conversation with the artist while he remained in state custody. Although the contact confirmed that he is still alive, it was not possible to determine the location where he is being held.
On that same day, the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances activated an urgent action to request information about his whereabouts, increasing international pressure on the Cuban government.
Fear of being expelled from the country
Various activists believe it is possible that the authorities may try to send Otero Alcántara into exile without allowing him to return to his home first.
Suspicion grew after State Security agents questioned individuals close to the artist about the status of his humanitarian parole in the United States, without providing any explanation about his whereabouts.
Miami was one of the destinations that Otero Alcántara himself had mentioned as a possible place to travel once he regained his freedom.
A prisoner of conscience
Founder of the San Isidro Movement, Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara was arrested during the protests on July 11, 2021, and sentenced in June 2022 to five years in prison for the crimes of "insulting the symbols of the homeland," "disobedience," and "public disorder."
International human rights organizations claim that the judicial process was motivated by his artistic and political activism, rather than by the commission of common crimes.
In the last months of his imprisonment, the artist reported an escalation of pressure in prison. In March of this year, close associates revealed that agents from the State Security threatened him with death inside the facility, an incident that triggered an eight-day hunger strike.
Later, the People's Supreme Court rejected a habeas corpus appeal submitted by the organization Cubalex, and Otero Alcántara was also not included among the beneficiaries of the pardon announced by the Cuban government in April.
Amnesty International, which declared him a prisoner of conscience in 2021, concluded its statement with a categorical message:
"Luis Manuel should never have been imprisoned. He must be free today."
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