Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, the Cuban artist and co-founder of the Movimiento San Isidro, arrives this Saturday in Miami after five years of unjust imprisonment, and his first act on U.S. soil will be to visit the Ermita de la Caridad to leave an offering of gratitude at 6:30 PM, at the sanctuary located at 3609 S Miami Ave.
Otero Alcántara brings with him from Cuba a broken virgin. Activists close to the political prisoner described it as “a gesture that invites gathering the fragments, reassembling what has been shattered, and believing that it is still possible to heal.”
The artist was detained on July 11, 2021, the same day that Cuba experienced the largest popular protests in decades, as he was trying to leave his home to join the demonstrations of July 11th.
He was tried in a closed-door trial and sentenced to five years in prison for "insulting national symbols," "disobedience," and "public disorder," charges that Amnesty International rejected by declaring him a prisoner of conscience.
He served his sentence in the maximum-security prison of Guanajay, in Artemisa. His sentence officially ended on July 9, 2026, but State Security agents had transferred him two days earlier to an undisclosed location, which international organizations classified as enforced disappearance.
On July 17, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services approved his humanitarian parole application, and an official from the U.S. embassy in Havana confirmed that he would travel to Miami with diplomatic escort. His departure signifies a permanent exile from Cuba, a condition imposed by the regime for his release.
The choice of the Hermitage of Charity as the first destination carries a deep symbolic significance for the Cuban community in exile.
The sanctuary was built facing the Biscayne Bay starting in 1966, raised penny by penny by exiles so they could "look towards Cuba," and consecrated in 1973.
The image of the Virgin of Charity of El Cobre, the patroness of Cuba, arrived in Miami in 1961 hidden in a suitcase and was welcomed by 30,000 exiles. On July 11, the fifth anniversary of 11J, the sanctuary itself prayed for the Cuban political prisoners, including Otero. A week later, the artist arrived in person.
His surroundings invite everyone who wishes to join him to be present this afternoon at the sanctuary.
In the following days, Otero has scheduled meetings with the press and gatherings with exile organizations. According to a statement from his team, "he arrives with the desire to understand the physical space, but also the human and symbolic space of exile. He wants to listen, learn, share experiences from these years, and discuss the future of Cuba."
The artist does not forget what is left behind: "Behind are hundreds of political prisoners, and an entire people perhaps going through the worst moment in their history. He does not forget it, and neither do we," concludes the statement, which specifically mentions Maykel Osorbo among those who remain incarcerated.
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