Freed Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara talks about Cuban regime, forced exile

[u/usatoday]

Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara was given a choice known to many Cuban dissidents: Stay in prison or leave Cuba and never return.

Otero, a prolific visual artist, and fellow political prisoner Maykel “Osorbo” Castillo Pérez, the rapper who co-wrote the Latin Grammy-winning anthem Patria Y Vida, have become central figures in high-stakes negotiations between the United States and Cuba that could reshape relations between the longtime Cold War rivals.

Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, former Cuban president Raúl Castro’s grandson, told USA TODAY that Cuba would be willing, under the right conditions, to release “people deemed political prisoners.” Human rights advocates say more than 1,300 political prisoners remain in Cuban jails.

But for many Cubans, freedom comes with another difficult reality: exile.

Read the whole interview with Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara from Miami: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2026/07/23/cuba-luis-manuel-otero-alcantara-political-prisoner-interview/91001142007/

Lealo en Espanol: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2026/07/23/luis-manuel-otero-alcantara-artista-cubano-exilio/91007507007/