The Cuban rapper and activist Maykel Castillo Pérez, known as "El Osorbo," sent his voice from prison through an audio posted by his colleague El Funky on Facebook, in which he denies that his absence from the United States is voluntary and points directly to the Cuban regime as the sole obstacle to his freedom.
"To make it clear that I am not there just because I don't want to be, no: I am not there because the regime does not want me to be there. That's the reality, understand what is happening," Osorbo states in the message lasting just over a minute, addressed to his followers, friends, and family.
The activist acknowledged in the audio that he has "the greatest desire to breathe fresh air," but emphasizes that his situation does not depend on him: "The most I can hope for is that the regime acts and gets me out of prison. Because if the regime doesn’t release me from prison, it’s impossible for me to get anywhere; that doesn’t exist."
The audio concludes with a statement that encapsulates the rapper's resilience after more than five years of confinement: "We are still in touch, I really love you all."
The message arrives days after Osorbo marked his 43rd birthday on August 20 while imprisoned. On that date, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Juan Pablo Segura, publicly demanded his immediate release using the hashtag "Free Maykel".
Osorbo is serving a nine-year sentence imposed in June 2022 on charges of assault, contempt, public disorder, and defamation of institutions, in retaliation for his activism and for co-authoring "Patria y Vida," the anthem of the protests on July 11, 2021. He was arrested on May 18, 2021, and will not regain his freedom until 2030 unless the regime intervenes beforehand.
What makes his situation more serious is that the regime already offered him a way out and then retracted it. In May 2026, State Security agents presented him with the option to exile or remain imprisoned until the end of his sentence; Osorbo accepted the exile, but the authorities did not follow through. He also was not included in any of the pardons announced later.
In mid-July, the U.S. approved a humanitarian parole in his favor —similar to the one processed for his companion Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara— but the Cuban regime has not taken any action in this regard.
On July 10, Osorbo was transferred without prior notice to the maximum security prison in Guanajay, in Artemisa, from the Kilo 8 prison in Pinar del Río.
He was placed in the area known as "la Incrementada," exactly the same cell that until a few days earlier had been occupied by Otero Alcántara, who was released on July 7 after serving his five-year sentence.
Cubalex described that transfer as deliberate psychological torture by the Cuban political police.
The international support for Osorbo's case is extensive. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights declared his detention to be arbitrary and politically motivated, ordered Cuba to annul his sentence, and noted that in the first days following his arrest, he was subjected to enforced disappearance.
Amnesty International recognizes him as a prisoner of conscience and demands his immediate and unconditional release. In June 2026, he received the Democracy Award along with Otero Alcántara and the political prisoner Félix Navarro.
Filed under: