Amnesty International, HRW, call for the release of Cuban artists

Leading human rights organizations Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch (HRW) called upon the Cuban government to “immediately release” two artists arrested for attending protests against President Miguel Díaz-Canel’s administration. 

Visual artist Otero Alcántara from the opposition-led Movimento San Isidro and rapper Castillo ‘Osorbo’ Pérez have been arrested provisionally for almost an entire year, ever since the island’s July 2021 wave of protests started. Cuban prosecutors have been requesting sentences of up to ten years in prison, something many people see as arbitrary. 

According to Tamara Taraciuk Broner, acting Americas director at HRW, “they are being prosecuted for exercising their human right to criticize their own government.” Cuban rights group Cubalex says over 700 people arrested during last year’s demonstrations are still behind bars.

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