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The legal organization Cubalex reported that this Monday a habeas corpus petition was formally submitted in favor of the artist and political prisoner Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, who has been missing since July 7th.
Judicial authorities now have a legal deadline of 72 hours to issue a response, according to reported by Cubalex.
"This legal action is being presented in a critical scenario of vulnerability," the organization reported, adding: "From Cubalex, we demand that due process and Luis Manuel's physical integrity be respected."
The delivery of the resource arrives just a few days after several obstacles: on Friday, July 10, the Provincial People's Court of Havana remained closed despite being a working day, blocking the initial submission of the habeas corpus; moreover, the activist who attempted to submit it was arrested and remained detained for two days.
"An activist who went to deliver the habeas corpus for Luis Manuel was detained, and that person was held for two days," reported Anamely Ramos in a live broadcast this Monday.
Cubalex also attempted to send the request via email to the Provincial Court and the Supreme People's Court, but documented that the official addresses designated for these procedures are inactive or blocking messages.
Due to the inability to act through regular channels, Ramos announced a formal request to the foreign diplomatic corps accredited in Cuba to assist in delivering the resource, as happened in 2022 during the artist's trial.
"The situation in Cuba has reached a point where even submitting a habeas corpus requires the intervention of a diplomat. Just look at the level of repression, the total breakdown that exists in that country," noted Ramos.
The context surrounding this legal action is of extreme seriousness. On July 9, the five-year sentence that Otero Alcántara had been serving in the Guanajay prison since 2021 officially expired, but the regime did not release him.
Two days earlier, Otero was taken to an undisclosed location without notifying his family, and since then, no one has been able to see him or receive official information about his whereabouts.
The only known contact occurred on July 9 itself, when Otero Alcántara managed to briefly communicate with Ramos from a State Security phone during a speakerphone call under the supervision of agents, without being able to reveal his location.
According to Ramos, the agents made it clear that the artist will remain detained while awaiting his individual parole application to leave Cuba for the United States.
"The Cuban state is cynically making it clear once again that it is silence, prison, or exile," the activist summarized.
This is not the first habeas corpus submitted in the case. In March 2026, Cubalex had already filed one before the same Court of Artemisa, arguing that Otero had served his sentence early, but it was rejected on March 23 with arguments that the organization deemed legally incompatible.
The Supreme Popular Tribunal ratified on April 7 the artist's imprisonment until July 9, denying any reductions for good behavior.
International pressure regarding the case is increasing. The UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances initiated an Urgent Action recorded as AU No. 2357/2026, with a deadline until July 25 for Cuba to provide accountability.
Amnesty International formally classified the case as enforced disappearance and demands the immediate and unconditional release of the artist, whom it recognizes as a prisoner of conscience since 2021.
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