In the absence of transparency surrounding the procedure, support networks and human rights groups remain on alert awaiting further information
14ymedio, Havana, July 7, 2026 – Cuban artist and political prisoner Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara was removed today from the maximum-security prison in Guanajay, Artemisa province, according to official communication channels.
Following the action by the Cuban authorities, his current whereabouts, the conditions under which the transfer was carried out, and the reasons behind it remain unknown. His family has already confirmed that the activist and leader of the San Isidro Movement is not at his home in the El Cerro neighborhood of Havana.
Given the lack of transparency surrounding the procedure, support networks and human rights groups remain on alert awaiting further information.
Otero Alcántara’s official platforms have stated that they will provide urgent updates as soon as any verified information about his condition and whereabouts is confirmed.
“Luis Manuel Otero was removed today from Guanajay prison in Artemisa province. At this moment, we do not know where he is. We have confirmed with his family that he is not at his home in El Cerro. We have no further information about where he is or under what conditions he was transferred.”
Activist and art historian Yanelis Núñez confirmed to the independent newspaper 14ymedio on Tuesday that Otero Alcántara’s scheduled release date was July 9, as recorded in the document issued by the Supreme Court regarding the artist’s case and the completion of his sentence.
“Today we learned through other prisoners that Luis has been taken from prison. At this moment we do not know where he is. We have spoken with his family in Cuba, and he is not at home. We are waiting for more information to find out where he is,” said Núñez, who lives in Madrid.
“The regime has put the option of exile on the table for Luis Manuel in recent months, but we have absolutely no certainty that this will happen in the coming hours or days. However, it is something that is on the table because of pressure from the regime itself,” the activist added.
Otero Alcántara had been in prison since July 2021 after attempting to participate in the July 11 protests. He was sentenced in 2022, along with rapper Maykel Castillo ‘Osorbo’, to five and nine years, respectively, for the crimes of “contempt” and “public disorder,” legal categories with ambiguous boundaries that allow for the punishment of political positions on the island. Since 2022, the Penal Code has incorporated the concept of “propaganda against the constitutional order,” used to imprison citizens who express themselves in ways as diverse as putting up anti-government posters or publishing their critical opinions on social media.
During his time in prison, the artist staged several hunger strikes and was recognized as a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International, while international organizations such as Human Rights Watch (HRW) and PEN International demanded his immediate release.
This Tuesday, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla called the United States ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, a “liar” during the intense debate of the General Assembly on the US embargo against the Island.
“They are not violent; what they do is write poetry and songs, and that is why the regime tries to eliminate them by putting them in jail.”
Waltz responded by asserting that “the regime and its representatives do not want you to hear the following: that this month marks the anniversary of when thousands of Cubans took to the streets to demand their freedom.”
“For 67 years, the regime has enriched itself by abusing its people, stifling private enterprise, and penalizing dissent with a communist economy,” the ambassador asserted.
Waltz then took a series of photographs of some artists detained by the Cuban government, including Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara.
“Look at their faces when they give their speeches, because they are in jail for demanding freedom. They are not violent; what they do is write poetry and songs, and that is why the regime is trying to eliminate them by putting them in jail,” the ambassador emphasized, addressing the UN member states.
Translated by Regina Anavy
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