ARC Calls for Release of Cuban Artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara as He Begins Hunger Strike in Prison
Cuba
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
3 December 2025
(NEW YORK) – ARC – Artists at Risk Connection expresses its grave concern for Cuban artist and activist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, who, as of December 1, has reportedly begun a voluntary hunger strike while imprisoned in Cuba in protest of his continued imprisonment and the broader restrictions on artistic and political expression in the country. This drastic act underscores the desperation of an artist who has been unjustly deprived of his liberty for years, and highlights the extreme and worsening repression faced by artists and independent voices on the island. ARC urges Cuban authorities to immediately release Otero Alcántara and all unjustly detained artists and prisoners of conscience in Cuba.
“Luis Manuel’s decision to, once again, resort to a hunger strike on the eve of his 38th birthday, his fifth spent behind bars, is stark and tragic. That an artist must literally put his life on the line simply for creating, imagining, and demanding a freer Cuba is intolerable,” said ARC Executive Director Julie Trébault. “No artist should be forced to risk their life for their creativity or for speaking truth to power. His hunger strike is not only an act of personal desperation; it is a powerful indictment of the Cuban authorities’ systematic repression of artists and all those who dare to speak out.”
Otero Alcántara, co-founder of the Movimiento San Isidro (MSI) and one of Cuba’s best-known contemporary artists of his generation, has long endured repeated arrests and sustained state harassment for his work and activism. He was arrested in July 2021 in the wake of the historic 11J protests and later sentenced in 2022 to five years in prison on charges of “contempt,” “public disorder,” and “insult to national symbols” — charges widely condemned as politically motivated and aimed at silencing his artistic and civic activism. His case unfolds against a backdrop of intense repression: human rights organizations estimate that nearly 1,200 political prisoners are currently incarcerated in Cuba, simply for exercising their rights to free expression, peaceful protest, and creative practice.
By resorting to a hunger strike, Otero Alcántara draws renewed international attention to the longstanding repression faced by artists and cultural workers on the island. For years, ARC has been at the forefront of documenting and advocating on his case, challenging each new violation through joint open letters urging his release and multiple public statements regarding his repeated harassment and detentions.
His case reflects a much larger crackdown on Cuban artists and artistic freedom–a pattern ARC continues to expose through its Voces Presas campaign, which calls for the release of all imprisoned artists and political prisoners on the island and urges Cuban authorities to guarantee artistic freedom. The campaign has amplified numerous cases including Otero Alcántara and rapper Randy Arteaga Rivera, who was conditionally released in early 2025 after years of harassment and imprisonment.
About ARC
ARC – Artists at Risk Connection 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.
For press inquiries, please contact:
Julie Trébault
Executive Director
ARC – Artists at Risk Connection
+1 646-860-5446