Cuban Court Has 72 Hours to Answer Petition on Missing Artist

A prominent Cuban artist and activist remains missing after the scheduled completion of his prison sentence, with his family and human rights organizations demanding answers from authorities. Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, 38, was removed from Guanajay Prison on July 7, two days before his five-year sentence officially ended on July 9. His current location and legal status are unknown.

The legal aid organization Cubalex filed a writ of habeas corpus on Monday, July 13, with the Havana Provincial People's Court, requesting that authorities produce Otero Alcántara and explain the legal basis for his continued detention. Cuban law establishes a 72-hour deadline for the court to respond to such petitions. The organization stated the action was filed amid a critical situation of vulnerability and lack of protection for the artist.

Otero Alcántara, the general coordinator of the artist-activist collective San Isidro Movement, was arrested on July 11, 2021, as he attempted to join historic, nationwide protests triggered by severe food shortages and blackouts. Following closed-door trials in 2022, he was convicted on charges of public disorder, contempt, and insulting national symbols,...