Following the symbolic delivery of more than 27,000 letters of solidarity to Cuban artist and activist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara in private event at El Espacio 23 in Miami, Amnesty International said:
“Today, thousands of messages of solidarity finally reached Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara in person. Each letter is a reminder that, even when the Cuban authorities tried to silence and isolate him behind prison walls, people around the world continued to stand with him demanding his freedom.
Luis Manuel should never have spent a single day in prison for his art, his activism, or for peacefully expressing his views. His freedom today does not erase nearly five years of injustice, nor the fact that he was forced into exile. The Cuban authorities must release all those imprisoned solely for exercising their human rights and guarantee that Luis Manuel can return to Cuba, if he so chooses, without surveillance, threats or reprisals,” said Astrid Valencia, Deputy Director of Research for the Americas at Amnesty International.
Luis Manuel should never have spent a single day in prison for his art, his activism, or for peacefully expressing his views. His freedom today does not erase nearly five years of injustice, nor the fact that he was forced into exile. ”
Astrid Valencia, Deputy Director of Research for the Americas at Amnesty International.
Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara is a Cuban artist and activist known for using his art to defend freedom of expression and challenge restrictions on artistic and civic space in Cuba. Designated as a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International, he was sentenced to five years in prison in June 2022 after being arbitrarily detained in July 2021. After nearly five years unjustly deprived of his liberty, he was released in July 2026 and forced into exile. He is now living in Miami, where he continues his artistic work and advocacy at El Espacio 23.
The event, hosted at El Espacio 23 in Miami, brought together Luis Manuel
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