Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara, a prominent Cuban artist and dissident, was detained in July 2021 as he attempted to join unprecedented mass protests across the communist island.
Amnesty International has designated Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara as a prisoner of conscience [FILE: May 2, 2018]Image: Alexandre Meneghini/REUTERS
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Prominent Cuban dissident artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara, whose five-year prison sentence ended last week, has arrived in the United States, according to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Rubio did not provide the whereabouts of the 38-year-old artist, or say exactly when he arrived.
A video posted on Otero Alcantara's official Facebook page, which is managed by his close friends, also showed his arrival in the United States.
"After five years of unjust imprisonment, Cuban artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara has finally been freed," read a post.
The post also said he was held in a maximum-security prison and that a condition of his release was "permanent departure from the island."
On Friday, Otero Alcantara had been granted a humanitarian visa to travel to the US after serving his prison sentence.
Who is Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara?
Otero Alcantara is one of the most visible faces of the San Isidro Movement, a group of artists and intellectuals seeking greater freedom of expression in the communist country.
In 2022, a court sentenced him to five years in prison for insulting national symbols, contempt and disturbing the public order.
"Otero Alcantara's only 'crime' was refusing to stay silent and using his art to demand the basic freedoms everyday Cubans have been denied for almost seven decades," Rubio said in a statement.
The Cuban government has accused Otero Alcantara of acting on behalf of Washington to destabilize the communist-run island.
Edited by: Sean Sinico
As Cuba slides deeper into crisis, a tightened oil embargo and economic weakness are hitting older people the hardest. Despite poverty and isolation, their trust in the government often remains intact.
Image: Ramon Espinosa/AP Photo/picture alliance
Aging population
This group of senior citizens is waiting for a free meal in a church dining hall. Triggered by an oil embargo imposed by US President Donald Trump, Cuba's economic crisis has worsened significantly since the beginning of the year — and is hitting the elderly population particularly hard.
Image: Ramon Espinosa/AP Photo/picture alliance
Pensions don't cover basic needs
According to Cuba's National Statistics Office, nearly 26% of the population was 60 years of age or older by the end of 2024. Carmen Casado, an 84-year-old retired chemical engineer, lives alone in a room in a dilapidated house. She regularly attends a food distribution organized by the church, as her monthly pension — equivalent to $4 (about €3.50) —barely covers her basic needs.
Image: Ramon Espinosa/AP Photo/picture alliance
Church as provider
Meals at the Church of the Holy Spirit are simple: Ground beef, rice, red beans and crackers with mayonnaise. For many, the meals offer more than just sustenance. They provide a bit of routine, relief and companionship during long days marked by scarcity, hardship and loneliness.
Image: Ramon Espinosa/AP Photo/picture alliance
Castro generation faces new period of scarcity
The island's elders were young when Fidel Castro came to power in 1959. Now, in their old age, they are facing a new period of scarcity, highlighted by limited pensions and rationed food. The effects are evident in everyday life: Older people are often seen walking the streets alone, or standing in long lines waiting for bread and rice.
Image: Ramon Espinosa/AP Photo/picture alliance
Reliant on outside help
Julia Barcelo, 83, sits in her modest room with a friend who has brought a meal from the church. Barcelo is recovering from breast cancer treatment and cannot leave the house. She is in urgent need of assistance, but there is no government-run home care service in Havana.
Image: Ramon Espinosa/AP Photo/picture alliance
A modest life
Carmen Casado rummages through the old dresser in her apartment, which shows signs of age and neglect. Despite poverty and loneliness, she continues to place her trust in the government and blames the United States for the island's hardships.
