Joint statement condemning the charges brought against Maykel “El Osorbo” Castillo Pérez and Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara

64 organizations and 79 artists share a message of solidarity – launched by PAR – a protection network for at-risk artists in Latin America and the Caribbean – with Maykel “El Osorbo” Castillo Pérez, Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, and all those who remain unjustly detained and charged for exercising their right to freedom of expression in Cuba.

The undersigned organizations and artists strongly condemn the unsubstantiated and outrageous charges relating to alleged contempt, defamation, and public disorder brought against Cuban artists Maykel “El Osorbo” Castillo Pérez and Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, for which prosecutors have requested the punishment of ten and seven years imprisonment, respectively. We call on the Cuban government to drop these charges, release Castillo Pérez and Otero Alcántara, and put an immediate end to the constant harassment and abuse of artists.

Maykel Castillo won two Latin Grammys for his song Patria y Vida, which criticizes the Cuban government and became a viral anthem during the mass protests in July 2021. Otero Alcántara has become a prominent dissident voice through his powerful performance art. Both artists are members of the San Isidro Movement, a collective that has staged various protests against the government, leading to intense state surveillance. As a result of their art and activism, Castillo Pérez and Otero Alcántara have faced a sustained campaign of harassment and persecution since 2016. Most recently, Castillo Pérez was arrested on May 18 after the success of Patria y Vida, while Otero Alcántara was detained on July 11 following his participation in mass demonstrations during the July 2021 protests. Both have remained incarcerated in maximum security prisons ever since. 

A formal court order initiating an oral trial was issued on March 8, 2022. The charges against Otero Alcántara include “insults to symbols of the homeland,” “contempt,” and “public disorder,” and the charges against Castillo Pérez include “contempt,” “public disorder,” “defamation of institutions and organizations and of heroes and martyrs,” and “assault.” The Artists at Risk Connection (ARC) at PEN America, PEN International, and CADAL have reviewed legal documents showing that the Prosecutor’s Office issued their sentencing request of ten years’ imprisonment for Castillo Pérez and seven years for Otero Alcántara.

A review of the charges against both artists makes it clear that they are being targeted for their peaceful exercise of their right to free expression. Their alleged criminal conduct includes using the Cuban flag in a series of photos, writing an offensive social media post, criticizing government officials, and posting memes about Cuba’s head of state. The cases against both artists are an obvious attempt to criminalize their art and their opinions. The goal of these charges has never been to administer justice nor to allow for free and fair discourse on issues of concern for the Cuban people, but to surveil, harass, detain, and silence those critical of the government.

These cases are part of the Cuban government’s broader campaign to intimidate, silence, and imprison artists and other creatives who dare to criticize them–a campaign marked by repression and human rights violations. Since the historic protests on July 11, 2021, Cuban authorities have pursued a series of unjust trials against those who took to the streets, many of whom are artists.

At least 39 artists were detained on July 11, and three were sentenced on charges of contempt: musician Abel Lescay, rapper-singer Randy Arteaga, and writer and poet María Cristina Garrido. The tactics employed by the authorities against dissenters–surveillance, harassment, detention, and silence–are both apparent and clearly abusive.

Castillo Pérez and Otero Alcántara were first arrested on May 18 and July 11, 2021, respectively, and remain in detention as their trial progresses. The long-term detention and extreme harsh conditions have taken a grave toll on their mental and physical well-being. Both Castillo Pérez and Otero Alcántara have faced worsening health conditions that require immediate medical attention. Following his most recent hunger strike in protest against his unjust imprisonment and the manipulation of his freedom by state security, Otero Alcántara told his family that he “suffered paralysis and had to be rushed to hospital.» His partner said his condition has worsened and he finds himself at “constant risk.” Castillo Pérez’s health has also drastically deteriorated as he awaits the results of a second biopsy conducted due to swelling in his throat and lymph nodes. 

The Cuban government’s pursuit of criminal charges against both artists is not justice–it is oppression. We demand that the authorities drop all charges against both Maykel “El Osorbo” Castillo Pérez and Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, and immediately release them from detention. We further call on the Cuban government to cease the harassment and threats against journalists, writers, and artists on the island, and to respect and guarantee international human rights law as set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international instruments. 

Signed,

Organizations

1. Acción Constitucional
2. ARTICLE 19 México y Centroamérica
3. Artist Protection Fund
4. Artistic Freedom Initiative
5. Artists At Risk Connection (ARC)
6. ArtsEverywhere
7. Auckland PEN
8. Berlín Opus Cuba
9. Cadal
10. CIVICUS
11. Civil Rights Defenders
12. Cubalex
13. Cultura democrática
14. Democracy Council
15. Demóngeles, colectivo de artistas
16. Dansk PEN
17. Di.Verso
18. English PEN
19. Fondo de Acción Urgente para América Latina y el Caribe
20. Freedom House
21. Fundamedios
22. Fundación Ciudadanía y Desarrollo a la Declaración
23. Fundación Acceso- Shelter City Costa Rica 
24. Grupo Ánima, colectivo de artistas
25. Human Rights Foundation
26. Hypermedia
27. Irish PEN
28. Independence Chinese PEN
29. INSTAR (Instituto de Artivismo Hannah Arendt)
30. International Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights
31. Movies that Matter
32. Movimiento de San Isidro
33. New Zealand Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi o Aotearoa (PEN NZ) Inc
34. PEN America
35. PEN Argentina
36. PEN Austria
37. PEN Brazil
38. PEN Canada
39. PEN Catalan
40. PEN Centre of Bosnia & Herzegovina
41. PEN Chiapas Pluricultural
42. PEN Chile
43. PEN Club de Escritores Cubanos en el Exilio
44. PEN Ecuador
45. PEN Eritrea
46. PEN Guatemala
47. PEN International
48. PEN Kenya
49. PEN Nigeria
50. PEN Norway
51. PEN Paraguay
52. PEN Perth
53. PEN Quebec
54. PEN Turkey
55. PEN Uruguay
56. PEN Zimbabwe
57. Philippine PEN
58. Prisoners Defenders
59. Provea – Programa Venezolano de Educación Acción en Derechos Humanos
60. Rialta, Alianza Iberoamericana para la Literatura, las Artes y el Pensamiento, A.C.
61. San Miguel PEN
62. Swedish PEN
63. Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation
64. World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)

Individuals

1. Lucía Leonor González Enríquez, performing artist
2. Patricio Villarreal Ávila, performing artist 
3. Abu Abu Duyanah Tamayo, autor
4. Luis Dener, writer 
5. Ariel Maceo Tellez, writer, poet and photographer 
6. Jennifer Clement, writer, former President of PEN International 
7. Gabriel Seisdedos, writer, Board Member of PEN International 
8. Coco Fusco, visual artist
9. José Antonio Albertini, former President of PEN Cuban Writers in Exile 
10. Christopher Merrill, University of Iowa
11. Alexis Romay, writer 
12. María Matienzo, writer 
13. Nonardo Perea, visual artist 
14. Celia González, visual artist 
15. Ileana Diéguez, writer 
16. Yanelys Nuñez, art historian 
17. Armando Chaguaceda, political scientist 
18. Sara Martínez Castro, writer 
19. Ladislao Aguado, Hypermedia’s editor
20. Carolina Barrero, historian 
21. Tania Bruguera, visual artist 
22. Anamely Ramos, art curator 
23. Carlos Manuel Álvarez, writer 
24. Rubén Chababo, cultural professional 
25. Pablo César Rebollo, artist and professor 
26. LeAnne Russell Rasco, filmmaker 
27. Camila Ramírez Lobón, visual artist 
28. Claudia Genlui Hidalgo, art curator and activist
29. Rafael Mondragón Velázquez, philologist 
30. Eliezer Márquez Duany, (“el Funky”), musician 
31. Ernesto Rojas Reyes, musician 
32. Natalie Morales, actress and filmmaker
33. Alex Fumero, filmmaker 
34. Amilkar Feria Flores, writer and visual artist 
35. Solveig Font Martínez, art curator 
36. Julio Llopiz Casal, visual artist 
37. Miguel Yasser Castellanos Guerrero, visual artist 
38. Ileana Botalín, designer 
39. Javier Caso, artist 
40. Richard Zamora (“el Radikal”), musician 
41. Osvaldo Navarro Veloz (“NavyPro”), musician
42. Luis Alberto Mariño, violinist  and performance artist
43. Ileana Diéguez, researcher 
44. Salvador Pérez Franco, artist 
45. Henry Eric Hernández, artist 
46. Roberto Garcés Marrero, researcher 
47. Lester Alvarez Meno, artist 
48. María de Lourdes Mariño, art curator 
49. Maribel García González, interpreter and manager 
50. María Matienzo, writer
51. Juan Enrique González, visual artist 
52. Michel Estopiñán, researcher
53. María del Carmen Ares Marrero, playwright 
54. Oscar Antonio Casanella Saint-Blancard, activist and scientific 
55. Osmani Pardo Guerra, activist 
56. Esteban Rodríguez López, journalist and activist 
57. Jorge Luis Capote Arias, activist 
58. Iliana Hernández Cardosa, journalist
59. Omara Isabel Ruiz Urquiola, academic 
60. Evelyn Rodriguez de Villafuerte, psychologist 
61. Eisbel Rojas, computer scientist 
62. Alenmichel Aguiló, academic 
63. Eduardo Testé Lino, researcher 
64. Rubén Ortíz, theater artist and researcher
65. Gabriela Selser, journalist 
66. Regula Venske, writer, Board Member of PEN International 
67. Salil Tripathi, author and editor, Board Member of PEN International 
68. David Francis, author and lawyer, Board Member of PEN International
69. Iman Humaydan, writer and activist, Board Member of PEN International 
70. Ola Larsmo, writer, Board Member of PEN International 
71. Danson Kahyana, writer, Board Member of PEN International
72. Eric Lax, writer, treasurer and Vice President of PEN International 
73. Elisha July, writer, President of PEN Zimbabwe 
74. Ricky Monahan Brown, writer, President of Scottish PEN 
75. Helmuth A. Niederle, writer, President PEN Austria
76. Lien Carrazana Lau, writer, artist and journalist, Diario de Cuba. 
77. Katherine Bisquet, poet and editor 
78. Hamlet Labastida, visual artist 
79. Carlos Aníbal Alonso, writer and editor.