Amnesty International Demands the ‘Immediate’ Release of Otero Alcantara and Maykel ‘Osorbo’

EFE (via 14ymedio), Mexico City, 23 June 2023 —  Amnesty International (AI) said Thursday that the Cuban authorities must release the artists Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara and Maykel “Osorbo” Castillo Pérez “immediately and unconditionally.” It is now one year since they were unjustly sentenced to five and nine years in prison, respectively, in a legal process … Continue reading “Amnesty International Demands the ‘Immediate’ Release of Otero Alcantara and Maykel ‘Osorbo’”

Cubalex’s Assessment of the Sentences Imposed Upon Luis Manuel Otero and Maykel Castillo / Cubalex

Cubalex, Giselle Camila Morfi, 24 June 2022 — The crimes of disrespecting national symbols, contempt, defamation of institutions and organizations, and heroes and martyrs, are not compatible with international human rights standards. These crimes are an assault on the freedom of expression recognized in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant … Continue reading “Cubalex’s Assessment of the Sentences Imposed Upon Luis Manuel Otero and Maykel Castillo / Cubalex”

Otero Alcantara and Maykel Castillo ‘Osorbo’ Sentenced to Five and Nine Years in Prison

14ymedio, Havana, 24 June 2022 — There is now a sentence in the trial against the artists Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara and Maykel Castillo Osorbo, held on May 30 and 31 in Havana. In a statement made public this Friday by the Attorney General’s Office, the People’s Municipal Court of Central Havana reported that the sentence for Alcántara is … Continue reading “Otero Alcantara and Maykel Castillo ‘Osorbo’ Sentenced to Five and Nine Years in Prison”

Cuba’s Foreign Ministry Rejects EU’s Criticisms of the Convictions of Alcantara and ‘Osorbo’

14ymedio, Madrid, 5 July 2022 — The Cuban Foreign Ministry reacted this Monday, more than a week late, to the European Union’s condemnation of the sentence against the members of the San Isidro Movement, Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara and Maykel Castillo ’Osorbo’. The spokesman for the European External Action Service, Peter Stano, posted on Sunday … Continue reading “Cuba’s Foreign Ministry Rejects EU’s Criticisms of the Convictions of Alcantara and ‘Osorbo’”

Amnesty International Asks to Enter Cuba to Follow the Trials of July 11th Protesters

EFE (via 14ymedio), Havana, 26 March 2022 — On Friday, the organization Amnesty International (AI) asked to enter Cuba to follow the trials against the demonstrators accused of the anti-government protests of last July 11. In a statement, AI reported that it has also asked the Cuban government to let in other human rights observers … Continue reading “Amnesty International Asks to Enter Cuba to Follow the Trials of July 11th Protesters”

‘Cuba’s Greatest Enemy is Not Outside, But Sitting in the Presidential Chair’

14ymedio, Havana, 12 March 2022 — Luis Robles, the “young man with the placard,” still has not received his sentence despite the fact that next Wednesday will mark three months after the end of his trial. The Prosecutor’s Office requested six years in prison for him for the crimes of resistance and enemy propaganda. Imprisoned since he was … Continue reading “‘Cuba’s Greatest Enemy is Not Outside, But Sitting in the Presidential Chair’”

Rapper Denis Solis Leaves Cuba

14ymedio, Havana, 29 Noviembre 2021 — The rebellious rapper Denis Solís, who was released from jail in July after an eight-month sentence for contempt which was decreed in a summary trial, has left Cuba. After speaking with an uncle of the artist, Vladimir Lázaro González, 14ymedio was able to confirm that the trip took place … Continue reading “Rapper Denis Solis Leaves Cuba”

Cuban Rapper El Funky Arrives in Miami and is Received by Yotuel Romero

14ymedio, Havana, 1 November 2021 — Cuban rapper Eliexer Márquez, El Funky, one of the performers of Patria y Vida, arrived this Sunday at the Miami international airport, where he was received by Yotuel Romero. Both will be present at the Latin Grammy gala on November 18, where the song, already known as an anthem for change on the … Continue reading “Cuban Rapper El Funky Arrives in Miami and is Received by Yotuel Romero”

The Six Cuban Activists Arrested on Obispo Street Have Been Transferred to Prisons

14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Havana, 28 May 2021 — With last Wednesday’s transfer of the communicator and activist Esteban Rodríguez to the Valle Grande penitentiary, there are now six activists jailed awaiting trial for their participation, on April 30 in Obispo Street in Havana, in an act of solidarity with the artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara. The … Continue reading “The Six Cuban Activists Arrested on Obispo Street Have Been Transferred to Prisons”

Dozens of Activists Demonstrate in Old Havana, Shouting “Patria y Vida” (Homeland and Life)

14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Havana, 30 April 2021 — Dozens of activists were repressed in a protest in the park on the corner of Obispo and Aguacate, in Old Havana. The protesters were trying to reach the home of Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, only a few blocks away. The artist is on his sixth day of a … Continue reading “Dozens of Activists Demonstrate in Old Havana, Shouting “Patria y Vida” (Homeland and Life)”

Organizations Speak Out Concerning the Wave of Repression in Cuba / Artículo 19 and Cubalex

Artículo 19 and Cubalex — Article 19 strongly condemns the wave of arbitrary arrests that have been taking place since Thursday, November 12, against independent journalists, human rights activists and political opponents in Cuba. These events have been accompanied by interrogations, threats, seizures of work equipment, beatings, among other assaults. The aggressors have been agents … Continue reading “Organizations Speak Out Concerning the Wave of Repression in Cuba / Artículo 19 and Cubalex”

Urgent: Cuban Police Detain the Rapper ‘El Osorbo’ and Violate His Rights / Cubalex

Cubalex, 5 August 2020– The rapper Maykel Castillo Perez, known as “El Osorbo,” was arrested on August 3rd in El Cristo Park, between Teniente Rey and Villagas in Havana Vieja. It happened around 11:00 at night when several plainclothes state officers, and also uniformed ones, took him in a patrol car to the police station … Continue reading “Urgent: Cuban Police Detain the Rapper ‘El Osorbo’ and Violate His Rights / Cubalex”

More Than Half of the Activists Arrested in Cuba in September Were Women

14ymedio, Havana, 3 October 2018 — More than half of those arrested for political reasons in Cuba this September were women, according to the report of the Cuban Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation (CCDHRN). The organization counts 224 arbitrary arrests this month. “Peaceful dissidents and activists of the independent civil society” were confined, “under generally … Continue reading “More Than Half of the Activists Arrested in Cuba in September Were Women”

Political Police Isolate Opponents During EU Representative Eamon Gilmore’s Visit to Cuba

14ymedio, Madrid, 24 November 2023 — Before the  of the European Union’s Special Representative for Human Rights, Eamon Gilmore, landed in Cuba, State Security had already detained Professor Pedro Albert Sánchez and Dr. Fernándo Vázquez, both activists, who had announced their intention to meet with the Irish senior official. Ana Elvis Amaya, wife of Pedro … Continue reading “Political Police Isolate Opponents During EU Representative Eamon Gilmore’s Visit to Cuba”

Cuban Composers of “Patria y Vida” — Homeland and Life — Will Receive the Medal of Freedom

EFE (via 14ymedio), Miami, August 16, 2022 — The composers of the song Patria y Vida will be recognized with the Medal of Freedom that will be awarded to them by the Latino Composers Hall of Fame (LCHOF) at the welcome gala for its new members, which will be held on October 13 in south Florida. … Continue reading “Cuban Composers of “Patria y Vida” — Homeland and Life — Will Receive the Medal of Freedom”