Democratic U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, of Weston, is joining with international human rights groups to demand the release of two Cuban artists who they say were wrongfully imprisoned by the Cuban government.
Wasserman Schultz, in a speech delivered in English and Spanish on the U.S. House floor in Washington on Tuesday, said she will partner with Freedom House and Amnesty International for the “immediate and unconditional release” of Latin Grammy-winning rapper Maykel “Osorbo” Castillo Pérez and performance artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, whom she called “a fierce advocate for free expression and human rights.”
Wasserman Schultz said she will lobby President Biden and his administration to make the release of the two artists “a top priority in any present future engagement with Cuba.”
“I’m grateful the Biden Administration granted humanitarian parole to both Luis Manuel and Maykel, but for the Cuban regime, exiling these patriots isn’t enough. Their very existence is a threat,” said Wasserman Schultz.
“If we truly intend to live up to our nation’s values, we must work tirelessly to liberate those who continually sacrifice their freedom for others.”
“Their work to spotlight human rights abuses in Cuba through their art deserves our attention now more than ever as they continue to languish in prison in deplorable conditions,” said Margaux Ewen, Director of Freedom House’s Political Prisoners Initiative, in a statement released by the congresswoman’s office. She said the Cuban government has more than 780 political prisoners behind bars.
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Maykel “Osorbo” Castillo Pérez is a Cuban rapper and artist who has won two Latin Grammy awards. He and other Cuban artists co-authored the song Patria y Vida, which became the anthem for the mass demonstrations in Cuba on July 2021.
He was detained May 18, 2021. Thirteen months later, Cuban authorities sentenced him to nine years in prison.
Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara is a Black Cuban visual and performance artist and member of the anti-censorship San Isidro Movement.
He was arrested and imprisoned after posting a video online to announce he would be participating in the July 21 protests.
The Miami Herald published an op-ed from Otero Alcántara, in which he denounced the Cuban dictatorship government, writing that “Today every young Cuban is a political prisoner.”
In July 2021, thousands of people filled Cuba’s streets and public squares in what was seen as the country’s largest outpouring of protest in decades.
Hundreds were arrested during the unrest last July. Some were sentenced to up to 25 years in prison.
Critics of the government said the events showed Cubans fighting against oppression. The authorities portrayed it as a moment when Cuba avoided a “soft coup” fomented by the U.S.
On July 11 and 12, 2021, protesters took to the streets to vent their frustrations over shortages, long lines and a lack of political options. Some were drawn to the marches by calls on social media, while others joined in spontaneously when marchers passed by.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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