January 3, 2025

(NEW YORK) – Artists at Risk Connection (ARC), Cubalex, and PEN International strongly condemn the detention and incommunicado holding of the rapper and plastic artist NandoOBDC by Cuban authorities and demand his immediate and safe release. 

NandoOBDC, real name Fernando Almenares Rivera, was detained on December 31, 2024, reportedly “without summons or judicial hearing.” Sources recount that the arrest occurred on “suspicion” of committing “acts of terrorism against the state.” Relatives shared with news outlets that NandoOBDC has not been allowed to contact his family, nor has he been officially charged with a crime.

“We express our grave concern for the detention and silencing of NandoOBDC because of his engaged and critical voice, yet another abhorrent example of the lengths the Cuban state will go to silence independent artists and their critical perspectives on the island,” said ARC Executive Director Julie Trébault. “The sustained strategy of the Cuban government to exile or imprison artists they disagree with must come to an end, NandoOBDC must be freed, and free expression must prevail.”

While the National Revolutionary Police (PNR) informally communicated to the mother of NandoOBDC that he was brought to the Séptima police station, no reported or official registers of his location have been shared. Legal experts from Cubalex maintain that the detention is illegal and possibly amounts to a “forced disappearance” as there is no certainty surrounding his exact whereabouts. Cubalex experts additionally contend that Cuban authorities are infringing upon Article 130.1(b) of the Criminal Procedure Law “to communicate immediately and to receive visits from relatives or persons close to him.”

The detention of NandoOBDC emerges in a context of sustained harassment he has suffered due to his involvement in the independent art and activist movements on the island. His projects, such as “Arte Prohibido” and collaborations with other critical artists, such as the Al2 El Aldeano, El Sexto, Maykel Osorbo, and others, have escalated repression from authorities. NandoOBDC shared in interviews that he faced numerous detentions, threats, and even beatings in response to his artistry and activism. ARC, Cubalex, and PEN International’s report Método Cuba: Independent Artists’ Testimonies of Forced Exile similarly highlights the myriad of intimidatory tactics used to silence critical voices, in several cases leading to exile, sustained harassment, or long-term imprisonment.

The Artists at Risk Connection (ARC) is an international organization committed to promoting and advancing the right to artistic freedom worldwide. Founded in 2017, ARC works to protect artists and cultural workers who are at risk because of their creative expression, often connected to their identities or roles within their communities. By providing vital resources and support, ARC helps artists at risk overcome challenges like persecution, censorship, threats, and violence from both state and non-state actors—whether for their artistic expression or the broader impact they have on cultural, social, and political issues.

Cubalex’s mission is to empower citizens, strengthen civil society organizations, establish democracy and the rule of law, and guarantee respect for human rights in Cuba. Founded in 2010 in Havana, Cubalex operated on the island for seven years until its members were forced into exile. Currently, the organization is registered in the United States, from where it has worked continuously for five years. With 12 years of experience documenting and denouncing human rights violations on the island, Cubalex offers consulting services and free legal assistance to Cuban citizens, benefiting more than 5,000 people. For more information, go to cubalex.org.

PEN International is the largest and most important association of writers that stands at the confluence of literature and human rights, to protect freedom of expression worldwide. Founded in London in 1921, PEN International connects an international community of writers. PEN operates on five continents through 130 centres in more than 90 countries. PEN International works to promote the PEN Charter and to ensure that people everywhere have the freedom to write, to disseminate information and ideas, to express their opinions and to access the ideas and literatures of others. We defend the freedom to write, recognising the power of literature to transform the world. In 2021, PEN International celebrated its centenary. More than 100 years after its founding, it is recognised as a leading international charity and expert on freedom of expression.