Freedom House welcomed Cuban artist, activist, and former political prisoner Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara this Tuesday at its headquarters, in a meeting that the organization described as inspiring and deeply significant.
The international non-governmental organization—dedicated to the research and promotion of democracy, political freedom, and human rights—seized the opportunity to reiterate its demand for the release of the more than 1,300 political prisoners who remain detained in Cuba.
"The Cuban regime imprisoned Luis Manuel for five years due to his art, activism, and defense of freedom of expression," the organization stated on its X account, where they posted photographs of the meeting featuring Otero Alcántara alongside members of the Freedom House team.
The visit occurs less than two months after the artist arrived in Miami on July 18, following the completion of his sentence in the maximum-security prison of Guanajay, in Artemisa. The regime released him on the condition that he leave Cuba permanently, something he himself described as forced exile: "I was expelled from Cuba", he stated upon arriving in exile.
Otero Alcántara, a central figure of the San Isidro Movement, was arrested on July 11, 2021, the first day of the historic protests known as 11J, while attempting to join the anti-government demonstrations.
In June 2022, he was sentenced to five years in prison on charges of "outrage against patriotic symbols," "disobedience," and "public disorder." Amnesty International declared him a prisoner of conscience and questioned the judicial process.
During all that time, Freedom House continued to advocate for his release. In 2022, while he remained imprisoned, the organization awarded him its prestigious Freedom Award along with fellow Cuban artist Maykel Castillo Pérez, known as "Maykel Osorbo".
After serving his sentence on July 9, 2026, Otero Alcántara was kept missing under the custody of State Security for several days before his individual humanitarian parole was approved in the United States and his departure from the country was finalized.
Since his arrival in exile, the artist has maintained an intense public presence. In August, he exhibited in Miami art that he created during his imprisonment and participated in the event "Letters of Freedom and Solidarity" organized by Amnesty International, where he received over 27,000 letters and messages collected during his incarceration. The visit to Freedom House is part of this ongoing activism.
"Her freedom deserves to be celebrated. But our work continues on behalf of the more than 1,300 political prisoners who remain unjustly detained in Cuba," the organization emphasized at the end of its post, under the slogan #FreeThemAll.
The number is not rhetorical. According to data from Prisoners Defenders amplified by Freedom House, Cuba ended July with a historic record of 1,327 political prisoners, of which 459 have serious medical conditions, 150 are women, and 41 were detained as minors.
Otero Alcántara, for his part, made it clear from the very beginning that exile does not mean the end of his commitment: "I believe in democracy. The people are the ones who will choose," he stated in an interview with CNN Spanish after his arrival in Miami.
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