Two simultaneous crises affecting Cuban citizens both within and outside the island have prompted an urgent call to international organizations: the enforced disappearance of the artist and activist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara at the hands of State Security, and the situation of dozens of Cubans who have gone missing in Venezuela following the devastating earthquakes of June 24, 2026.
The UN Committee against Enforced Disappearance (CED) activated an Urgent Action on July 12 under file AU No. 2357/2026, at the request of Cubalex, demanding the Cuban regime to provide information on the whereabouts of Otero Alcántara before July 25.
State Security agents took the activist out of the prison in Guanajay, Artemisa, on July 7 between 5:00 PM and 6:00 PM, without notifying his family or informing them of his whereabouts, even though his five-year sentence was set to officially end on July 9.
Anamely Ramos managed to briefly speak with Otero Alcántara that same day from a State Security phone and confirmed what many feared: "He is not free, he is not released, he is in the hands of State Security somewhere in Havana."
Amnesty International described the situation as enforced disappearance and demanded his immediate and unconditional release, reminding that the organization has recognized him as a prisoner of conscience since 2021.
This is not the first time Otero Alcántara has suffered such reprisals: the UN Committee itself recalled that he was already a victim of enforced disappearance in July 2021, recorded under file AU 1208/2021, just before the protests on July 11 of that year.
In parallel, at least 32 Cubans have been reported missing in the Venezuelan state of La Guaira —Caraballeda, Catia La Mar, Los Corales— following the earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24, with an official toll of 1,719 dead and more than 5,000 injured.
Citizen platforms like Encuéntralos and elToque made calls to international organizations in response to the Cuban government's initial evasive reply, as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated on June 27 that it "did not have official confirmation" of affected nationals.
Days later, the regime acknowledged two deaths and 24 individuals missing. Among the confirmed victims is the Cuban boy Dayán Nino, aged 10, who was trapped under the rubble for more than a week, and a family of six led by the cycling instructor Yadina, known as "the Cuban."
Both tragedies occur against the backdrop of a humanitarian crisis that the regime itself refuses to acknowledge.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla declared on June 25 that the situation in Cuba "does not constitute a humanitarian crisis," contradicting the alerts from the CIDH regarding the deterioration of essential services and the warnings from the UN about the risk of collapse.
The data tells another story: blackouts lasting up to 25 hours a day, only 30% of essential medications available, and an infant mortality rate that rose from 4.0 to 9.9 per thousand live births between 2018 and 2025.
The deadline imposed by the UN on the Cuban regime to report on the whereabouts of Otero Alcántara expires on July 25, 2026, a date that coincides with the anniversary of José Martí's birth and that the international community will observe closely.
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