Otero Alcantara Leaves Havana Hospital After a Month of Forced Confinement

14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Havana, 31 May 2021 — “I am relatively well, from a physical point of view but, emotionally, [I am] worried about all my brothers,” Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara told CubaNet Noticias shortly after leaving Calixto García Hospital. The artist announced that health “tests” will be carried out outside the “control of State … Continue reading “Otero Alcantara Leaves Havana Hospital After a Month of Forced Confinement”

Otero Alcantara: ‘The Torture I Suffered Was Psychological’

14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Havana, 1 June 2021 – Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara does not plan to pause or take a rest in his art or his activism. A few hours after leaving Calixto García Hospital, where he has been for almost a month without hardly any outside communication, he told 14ymedio that he is now ready to demand … Continue reading “Otero Alcantara: ‘The Torture I Suffered Was Psychological’”

Cuban Government Tries to Discredit Otero Alcantara with the Leak of a New Video

14ymedio, Havana, 25 May 2021 — Cuban State Security has released two new videos of the artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, who as of Tuesday marks 23 days held in the Calixto García Hospital in Havana. The material was leaked by a Facebook profile under the name of Kamilita Cuba which poses as a supporter of the San … Continue reading “Cuban Government Tries to Discredit Otero Alcantara with the Leak of a New Video”

Cuban Artist Otero Alcantara Imprisoned and Isolated for Two Weeks in Havana’s Calixto Garcia Hospital

14ymedio, Luz Escobar, 17 May 2021 – This Monday, the Cuban artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara marks 15 days of forced admission to the Calixto García hospital in Havana, without the freedom to communicate or receive visits. The activist’s fate continues to generate demands and complaints from international organizations. The San Isidro Movement (MSI), which has denounced … Continue reading “Cuban Artist Otero Alcantara Imprisoned and Isolated for Two Weeks in Havana’s Calixto Garcia Hospital”

New Images of Otero Alcantara at Calixto Garcia Hospital Come to Light

  14ymedio, Havana, 7 May 2021 — Two new videos released this Friday show the artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara in the Calixto García hospital in Havana, where he has been admitted since last Sunday. In the images, the activist appears in the area outside a pavilion and at one point makes an “L” with … Continue reading “New Images of Otero Alcantara at Calixto Garcia Hospital Come to Light”

Cuban Authorities Exhibit Otero Alcantara in a Video as Proof of Life

14ymedio, Havana, 4 May 2021 — Dr. Ifrán Martinez Gálvez, who presents himself as head of the medical team that cares for the artist Luis Manuel Otero Acántara at the Calixto García hospital, in Havana, has published a video on his Facebook profile this Tuesday, in clear response to the demands for a proof of life from the … Continue reading “Cuban Authorities Exhibit Otero Alcantara in a Video as Proof of Life”

Cuban State Security Breaks into Otero Alcantara’s House and Takes Him to the Hospital

14ymedio, Havana, 2 May 2021 — Cuban State Security broke into the home of Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, in Old Havana, at dawn this Sunday, and transferred him to the Calixto García Hospital, in El Vedado. An official statement confirmed that the artist was taken from his home, a week after starting a hunger and thirst strike. The artist’s … Continue reading “Cuban State Security Breaks into Otero Alcantara’s House and Takes Him to the Hospital”

Otero Alcantara’s Health Deteriorates, But He Remains Firm in Continuing His Hunger Strike

14ymedio, Havana, 28 April 2021 —  After three days on a hunger and thirst strike, the artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara is beginning to feel the first signs of weakness in his body. The dancer Chabelly Díaz told 14ymedio that she was able to speak with him and conveyed his determination to continue with the protest. “Communication with ‘Luisma’ … Continue reading “Otero Alcantara’s Health Deteriorates, But He Remains Firm in Continuing His Hunger Strike”

Otero Alcantara Demands $500,000 from Cuban Government for Damage to His Works

14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Havana, 21 April2021 — The artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara has been besieged for more than two weeks in his home in Old Havana, headquarters of the San Isidro Movement (MSI). “I have been here for 17 days without being able to leave my house. I try to leave and the political police detain … Continue reading “Otero Alcantara Demands $500,000 from Cuban Government for Damage to His Works”

‘This Year the Dictatorship is Done,’ Says Artist Otero Alcantara

14ymedio, Havana, 18 January 2021 — The artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara posted a live video on his Facebook page, which has already been watched more than 17,000 times, in which he says “the dictatorship” dead and asks the authorities to accept that everything is over, avoiding prolonging the suffering of the population. “Cuba is … Continue reading “‘This Year the Dictatorship is Done,’ Says Artist Otero Alcantara”

Otero Alcantara Detained Again in Havana While Giving an Interview to ’14ymedio’

14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Havana, 2 December 2020 —  The independent artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara was detained this Wednesday when he left the house of the journalist Mónica Baró and while speaking by phone with 14ymedio. A police patrol took him to his mother’s house, where a State Security agent forbade him to go out and “told … Continue reading “Otero Alcantara Detained Again in Havana While Giving an Interview to ’14ymedio’”

Artists Otero Alcantara and Maykel Castillo Denounce a Police Beating

14ymedio, Havana, 12 June 2020 — The artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara and the rapper Maykel Castillo were released around seven in the morning on Friday after spending all night in police custody, according to reports on social networks. Alcántara and Castillo were beaten by the police while handcuffed in an official vehicle, and they … Continue reading “Artists Otero Alcantara and Maykel Castillo Denounce a Police Beating”

The Charges Against Otero Alcantara Are Still In Force But ‘The Crisis’ Postpones The Trial

14ymedio, Havana, 18 March 2020 — The judicial processes against the artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara are still open and the pending trial for the alleged crimes of “insult to the national symbols” and “damages” can be held at any time, according to the artist’s lawyer who spoke on Tuesday. “The lawyer looked for a … Continue reading “The Charges Against Otero Alcantara Are Still In Force But ‘The Crisis’ Postpones The Trial”

Why The Cuban Government Rectified Its ‘Error’ With Otero Alcántara

14ymedio, Yoani Sanchez, Havana, 15 March 2020 — An intense campaign on social networks together with international pressure and voices of support that arose from the official sector itself have achieved the unthinkable: the release of the artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara. The photo of the activist, recently released from prison with his shaved head and … Continue reading “Why The Cuban Government Rectified Its ‘Error’ With Otero Alcántara”

Amnesty International Declares Otero Alcantara a Prisoner of Conscience

14ymedio/EFE, Havana, 13 March 2020 — Amnesty International has declared artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara a “prisoner of conscience.” “It is absolutely shameful that the Cuban administration continues to repress any voice that is not aligned with the official position,” the organization denounced this Friday in a statement. Otero Alcántara is “imprisoned solely for peacefully exercising his … Continue reading “Amnesty International Declares Otero Alcantara a Prisoner of Conscience”