Maykel Castillo Pérez

Maykel Castillo Pérez, also known as “el Osorbo,” is a Cuban rapper and visionary of the underground and independent music scene. A two-time Latin Grammy winning musician, he was imprisoned for his artivism, as through his lyrics he calls for freedom and justice for his country.

Castillo Pérez is co-author of the song “Patria y Vida” (Homeland and Life), which re-signifies the old Cuban government slogan “Patria o Muerte” (Homeland or Death). Released in February 2021, the song went viral with at least 14 million views on YouTube. The song is a cry for freedom, solidarity, and denunciation of human rights violations on the island that became an anthem for the peaceful demonstrations that occurred in Cuba on July 11, 2021.

But this great success in Castillo Pérez’s tireless struggle for human rights in Cuba was not a spontaneous accident. It was the culmination of years of suffering from aggressions and repressive attacks because of his art, music, and pro-democracy activism.

His musical work is based on the power of independent and dissident art, rejecting the socio-cultural and political dynamics that marginalize countercurrent voices and ideas. In his songs such as Por ti Señor, DIAZCARAO, De qué me van a hablar and El aletazo de Al Pidio he poses a continuous and forceful critique that recounts the challenges faced by the Cuban people and the lack of respect for their fundamental rights. 

Castillo Pérez is one of the founders of the artistic collective Movimiento San Isidro and was part of the campaign against Decree 349, a law restricting artistic freedom. Thus, his resistance through music became a struggle that has included hunger and thirst strikes and other acts of peaceful protest that have highlighted the growing censorship in his country. Additionally, in 2020, he sewed his mouth shut for the first time to denounce the silencing and persecution against him.

The response of the Cuban state was censorship and attempts to curb his public artistic actions. Throughout his artistic career, Maykel Osorbo has been the victim of arbitrary detentions, interrogations, surveillance, threats, acts of repudiation, and intimidation and censorship of his works, among other aggressions. According to information received by secondary sources, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention noted that “It has been documented that, between 14 December 2019 and 18 May 2021, Mr. Castillo was arrested 121 times. He was imprisoned for 1 year and 1 month, from 23 September 2018 to 23 October 2019, including time spent in pretrial detention.”

On May 18, 2021, he was arbitrarily detained (a fact corroborated by the decision A/HRC/WGAD/2021/63 of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention). Furthermore, following a complaint filed by seven international civil society organizations, the UN considers that Maykel Osorbo was imprisoned solely for his pro-democracy activism. According to the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances, his arrest was followed by 14 days of enforced disappearance.

The trial of Maykel Castillo Pérez, along with artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara and three other individuals was held on May 30 and 31, 2022 at the Marianao Municipal Court in Havana. He was sentenced to nine years in prison for the crimes of contempt, assault, public disorder, and defamation of institutions and organizations.

In 2023, Cubanet and other media made public several violations of Castillo Pérez’s rights in prison, including confinement, abuse, and the prohibition or prevention of regular and conjugal visits and telephone calls. In July 2023, in response to these repressive actions, Castillo Pérez demonstrated peacefully–sewing his mouth shut and tattooing “Patria y Vida” on his forearm.

In April 2024, Maykel was reportedly assaulted by several inmates, the event, according to family members and people close to Osorbo, was allegedly initiated by the authorities to further provoke him and silence him, making him fear for his safety, as he stated in letters he wrote in prison.

On August 20, 2024, Castillo Pérez will celebrate his 41st birthday behind the bars of his cell in the Kilo 5 y Medio prison in Pinar del Rio, serving an unjust sentence.

Published on September 26, 2023 | Updated on July 23, 2024