Statement
Open Letter to the Cuban Government: Free Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara
Cuba
(NEW YORK) – Today, Artists at Risk Connection (ARC) and fifty-two other organizations from throughout the arts, culture, and human rights worlds called on the Cuban government to immediately and unconditionally release artist and cultural leader, Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara. Detained in July 2021 and formally sentenced in June 2022, the letter identifies the years-long harassment of Otero Alcántara, including prior to his detention, as part of a larger repressive strategy to silence critical artistic voices and prevent free expression. The signatories also highlight Otero Alcántara's case as an essential example of the power of art to counteract repressive environments and the need to promote art and artists as fundamental changemakers in Cuban society.
“The fate of artistic freedom in Cuba must be understood as a global issue. Otero Alcánatara’s case is emblematic of what we see across the world and implores us to vocally demand accountability and freedom for those silenced because of their art,” said Julie Trébault, ARC’s Executive Director. “We stand together in solidarity with Luis Manuel and continue to demand his freedom and that of countless other artists on the island in the crosshairs of repression.”
The letter, led by ARC, was signed by renowned cultural and human rights organizations, including PEN International, INSTAR, Human Rights Watch, Rafto Foundation for Human Rights, Cartel Urbano, Index on Censorship, and more.
For years, ARC and partner organizations have reported on attacks and repressive waves against Cuban artists and cultural professionals, including restrictions on their freedom of expression and assembly. In 2023, ARC, PEN International, and Cubalex published Método Cuba: Independent Artists’ Testimonies of Forced Exile, a report that documents repressive tactics used by the Cuban government to coerce artists out of the country. Those who remain in Cuba may find themselves under sustained harassment by the authorities or imprisoned, as evidenced by cases documented in ARC, PEN International, and Civil Rights Defenders Voces Presas campaign.
Read the full text of the letter below.
Open Letter to the Cuban Government to Free Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara
International cultural and human rights organizations call on the Cuban authorities to immediately release artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara
December 2, 2024 - On his 37th birthday, Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, an internationally renowned artist and cultural leader, remains unjustly imprisoned in a Cuban maximum-security prison. This marks the third consecutive year he has been deprived of his freedom, underscoring a broader pattern of repression against artists who exercise their fundamental right to artistic freedom in Cuba.
Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara is a multidisciplinary artist recognized worldwide for his artwork and performances that expose and challenge state-imposed narratives in Cuba. As co-founder of the San Isidro Movement (MSI), he emerged as a powerful voice in the historic campaign in Cuba organized by the independent art community against Decree 349, which stifles artistic freedom. His bravery and relentless efforts to oppose repression in his country, including the establishment of the Museum of Dissidence in Cuba and his involvement in the #00Bienal de la Habana in 2018, have brought him international acclaim and garnered many accolades including being named one of the most influential people of 2021 by Time Magazine, the 2022 Impact Award from the Prince Claus Fund, and the 2024 Rafto Prize.
Detained on July 11, 2021, during the nationwide crackdown on peaceful protests, Otero Alcántara has since been subjected to prolonged and unjust imprisonment. In June 2022, he was convicted, along with rapper and MSI co-founder Maykel Castillo Pérez "el Osorbo.” The charges against Otero Alcántara included insulting the symbols of the homeland, contempt, and public disorder. His sentencing followed a closed-door trial in May 2022 that lacked transparency and due process. Otero Alcántara is currently serving a five-year sentence in the Guanajay maximum-security prison.
The conviction of Otero Alcántara infringes on international standards on the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and a fair trial. His imprisonment exemplifies the Cuban government’s repressive tactics used to silence critical creative voices, as documented in ARC, PEN International, and Cubalex’s recent report Método Cuba: Independent Artists’ Testimonies of Forced Exile.
Luis Manuel’s continued imprisonment is a glaring reminder of the need to protect artistic freedom and the voices that challenge oppression.
We call on the Cuban government to immediately and unconditionally release Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara. We stand in solidarity with him and emphasize the vital role of art and artists in Cuba.
Signatories:
- Art veda
- Articulo 19 Oficina para México, Centroamérica y Caribe
- Artists at Risk Connection (ARC)
- Associacao Cultural Xiluva Artes
- C.C. Forma Foco
- CADAL
- Cartel Urbano
- Cartoonists Rights Network International
- Center for a Free Cuba
- Centro de Documentación de Prisiones Cubanas
- Centro PEN Argentina
- Ciudadanía y Libertad
- Civil Rights Defenders
- Cubalex
- Cuido60- Observatorio de Envejecimiento, Cuidados y Derechos
- Cultura Democrática
- Demongeles
- Foro Argentino por la Defensa de la Democracia (FADD)
- Forum 2000 Foundation
- Freemuse
- Fundación Ciudadanía y Desarrollo
- Fundación Federalismo y Libertad
- Human Rights Watch
- Hypermedia Magazine
- Index on Censorship
- Iniciativa para la Investigación y la Incidencia AC
- INSTAR
- Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights
- Instituto Prensa y Sociedad (IPYS)
- Justicia 11J
- Künstlerhaus Bethanien
- La Coalición
- Manushya Foundation
- Mas Voces Foundation
- Mesa de Diálogo de la Juventud Cubana
- Movimiento de San Isidro
- Museo de la Disidencia en Cuba
- Museo Virtual de la Memoria contra la Violencia basada en Género (Museo V)
- Observatorio de Derechos Culturales (ODC)
- Observatorio de Género de Alas Tensas
- Observatorio de Libertad Académica (OLA)
- PEN Canada
- PEN Chiapas Pluricultural
- PEN Club de Escritores Cubanos en el Exilio
- PEN Ecuador
- PEN Esperanto
- PEN Guatemala
- PEN International
- PEN Nicaragua
- People in Need
- Rafto Foundation for Human Rights
- Rialta
- San Miguel PEN
Published on December 2, 2024