Jailed Cuban Dissident Leader Wins Annual Human Rights Award
The Norway-based Rafto Foundation for Human Rights announced on Thursday that its annual prize has been awarded to the imprisoned Cuban activist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara for his 'fearless opposition to authoritarianism through art.'...
0:00
/1861
Facts
- The Norway-based Rafto Foundation for Human Rights announced on Thursday that its annual prize has been awarded to the imprisoned Cuban activist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara for his 'fearless opposition to authoritarianism through art.'[1][2]
- The 36-year-old artist is a prominent member of the San Isidro Movement, an artists' collective established in 2018 to protest a decree requiring artists to obtain advance permission for performances and that was behind protests in 2021.[1][2]
- Created in 1987 and named after Norwegian human rights activist Thorolf Rafto, the prize honors non-violent human rights and democracy champions. Four past laureates later won the Nobel Peace Prize.[2][3][4][5]
- Otero Alcántara has been serving a five-year prison sentence on charges of defaming the national flag, contempt, and public disorder since 2022, following his latest arrest in July 2021.[3][6]
- In a phone interview from jail with the Spanish outlet El País this summer, the man seen as the most famous prisoner in Cuba said that he would eventually either become a martyr or be forced into exile.[7]
- About 500 people have been sentenced to prison for their role in the July 2021 protests, according to official figures, with rights organizations estimating that there are more than a thousand political prisoners in the country.[3]
Sources: [1]The Rafto Foundation (a), [2]Reuters, [3]Barrons, [4]The Rafto Foundation (b), [5]The Rafto Foundation (c), [6]Al Jazeera and [7]EL PAÍS English.
Narratives
- Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by New York Times. Otero Alcántara has organized an artists' collective to fight for freedom against Cuba's Soviet-style security state even if that meant being defamed and put behind bars. He should long have been released from prison, and hopefully, this well-deserved award will put a spotlight on his plight.
- Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Granma. Otero Alcántara has never been an artist as he pretends to be, but rather a problematic figure who used art to unashamedly disrespect the national flag. Given that he has closely worked with US-backed entities seeking to destabilize progressive countries, it's no surprise that a Western organization awarded him a prize this week.
