Key facts
- Cuban dissident artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara is expected to travel to the U.S. after serving five years in prison.
- A U.S. embassy official confirmed Otero Alcántara has been granted humanitarian parole.
- Otero Alcántara was a co-founder of the opposition San Isidro Movement.
- He was convicted of offenses including desecration of national symbols, contempt, and public disorder.
- The artist had previously rejected offers to leave Cuba in exchange for release.
Cuban dissident artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara is expected to travel to the United States in the coming days, having completed a five-year prison sentence. His family announced his impending departure via a Facebook message. A U.S. embassy official in Havana confirmed that Otero Alcántara has been granted humanitarian parole and that the embassy is facilitating his travel.
Otero Alcántara, 38, a co-founder of the opposition San Isidro Movement, was detained on July 11, 2021, amid significant anti-government protests in Cuba. He was subsequently convicted of charges including desecration of national symbols, contempt, and public disorder, serving his sentence at the Guanajay prison. Authorities had previously offered him exile in exchange for release, an offer he initially rejected but later reconsidered, acknowledging the regime's portrayal of him as a threat.
The cases of Otero Alcántara and fellow artist Maykel Castillo, known as 'Osorbo,' who is serving an eight-year sentence, have been a point of diplomatic friction between the U.S. and Cuba. U.S. Ambassador Michael Waltz recently highlighted Cuba's human rights record at the U.N. General Assembly, including Otero Alcántara among political prisoners.
This development follows a habeas corpus petition filed on July 13 by Otero Alcántara's supporters. Anamely Ramos, an activist and friend residing in the U.S., stated that Otero Alcántara had been in state custody at an undisclosed location after leaving Guanajay prison. Cuban authorities have maintained that those imprisoned after the 2021 protests were convicted of criminal acts, not political activism. In 2021, Time magazine recognized Otero Alcántara as one of the world's 100 most influential people.