The rapper and political prisoner from Cuba Maykel Castillo Pérez, known as Maykel Osorbo, was reportedly handcuffed and forced to cut his hair while several guards held him down during a raid that took place last Friday at the Guanajay prison in Artemisa.
The complaint was made this Monday by the activist and art curator Anamely Ramos in a Facebook post, where she explained that the operation took place in the area known as "la Incrementada," where the artist has been held since July.
According to Ramos, over 30 guards from a special brigade participated in the inspection, along with prison officials, provincial heads of prisons, and State Security agents.
"In the midst of the search, things got a bit violent. We do not have details of what happened, but we do know that several inmates, including Maykel, were handcuffed and forced to have their heads shaved while being held by several guards," the activist recounted.
The activist also reported the difficulties that inmates face in communicating with their families. As she explained, the area where Osorbo is located has had telephone issues for months and currently has only one device that works intermittently.
"Right now, there is only one phone that works, and even that is only sometimes," Ramos pointed out, explaining that this situation makes it difficult to understand what is happening inside the prison and to obtain information about the artist's condition.
In response to speculation about his whereabouts, he insisted that Maykel Osorbo remains detained in Guanajay, specifically in the area known as "la Incrementada".
Ramos recalled that the musician has been granted humanitarian parole to travel to the United States, but remains imprisoned in Cuba. The activist held the State Security and the Cuban regime responsible for preventing his release and departure from the country.
In her post, Anamely shared some words that, she claimed, the rapper himself conveyed to her after the incident, addressed to someone she identified as Castillo.
"When my spiritual tranquility exceeds the limit of peace, suddenly a fool shows up to break it, due to the issues of the frustrated," begins the message attributed to the artist.
“Little white fish, listen: the sharks are in the ocean, so leave me in my spiritual 'tranquility' and don’t mess with me,” it continues.
The message concludes: "Respect yourself, so that you can be respected, okay? You're one step ahead... but that might change one day. Don't bother me".
In the comments on his post, Ramos also responded to those who, as he explained, have questioned his allegations and the monitoring he is conducting regarding the musician's situation.
"I never lied. Not about Luis, and not about Maykel either. I can't force anyone to believe me, but that will never be my justification for staying silent," she stated.
The activist stated that she will continue to denounce what happens to political prisoners and their families, despite the criticisms she receives.
"Maykel is MY FAMILY. Period. And at least until he is free, I will stay by his side, whether with four people next to me or with an army," he expressed.
The rapper, one of the performers of the song "Patria y Vida," was transferred in July from Kilo 8 prison in Pinar del Río to the maximum security prison in Guanajay, without his family receiving prior notification about the change of penitentiary facility.
Days later, the Observatory of Cultural Rights and Anamely Ramos announced that the United States had approved a humanitarian parole for the artist, similar to the one granted to his fellow member of the San Isidro Movement, Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara.
However, Osorbo remains incarcerated. In August, the musician himself sent an audio message from prison in which he directly held the Cuban authorities accountable for preventing his departure to the United States.
"To prevent them from thinking that I'm not there because I don't want to be, no: I'm not there because the regime doesn't want me to be there," he stated then.
Maykel Osorbo was arrested on May 18, 2021, and sentenced in June 2022 to nine years in prison. Amnesty International recognizes him as a prisoner of conscience and has called for his release.
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