Exiled Cuban artist Otero Alcantara has arrived in US, Rubio confirms

play Live Sign upShow navigation menuNavigation menuNewsShow more news sectionsAfricaAsiaUS & CanadaLatin AmericaEuropeAsia PacificWorld CupMiddle EastExplainedOpinionVideoMoreShow more sectionsFeaturesEconomySportHuman RightsClimate CrisisInvestigationsInteractivesIn PicturesScience & TechnologyPodcastsTravelSponsored Contentplay Live Click here to searchsearchSign upNavigation menucaret-leftTrendingUS-Israel war on IranWorld Cup 2026Tracking Israel's ceasefire violationsDonald Trumpcaret-rightNewsExiled Cuban artist Otero Alcantara has arrived in US, Rubio confirmsOtero Alcántara is part of the San Isidro Movement, which has long been the target of Cuban repression. xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogleAdd Al Jazeera on GoogleinfoLuis Manuel Otero Alcantara, artist and opponent of the Cuban government, waves upon his arrival at Miami international airport on July 18, 2026 [AFP]By Al Jazeera StaffPublished On 19 Jul 202619 Jul 2026Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara, a high-profile Cuban artist who spent five years in prison, has arrived in the United States, where he is expected to live in exile. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed Alcantara’s arrival on Saturday and called on the Cuban government to free 700 other political prisoners detained in the country. Otero Alcantara, 38, was sentenced to five years in prison for insulting national symbols, contempt and disturbing the public order. The artist is a cofounder of Cuba’s San Isidro Movement, a group of artists and intellectuals who demanded greater freedoms in Cuba. The movement’s members have been a “constant target” of Cuban authorities’ repression, according to Amnesty International. “For daring to imagine a free Cuba, he was harassed, detained and imprisoned time and again, but today, he is in exile,” Rubio said. Rubio also called for the “immediate release” of “the more than 700 unjustly detained political prisoners” in Cuba. Rights groups have repeatedly called on Cuban authorities to release hundreds of political prisoners. US economic and diplomatic pressure on Cuba has grown in recent years as tensions between the two countries have escalated. Earlier this week, the US Department of the Treasury sanctioned Cuba’s Ministry of Tourism and other entities related to the country’s tourism industry, which acts as an economic lifeline for the isolated Caribbean island. Cuba’s energy infrastructure has nearly collapsed under a US-imposed oil blockade, with blackouts affecting millions across the island. “The Trump administration remains committed to the Cuban people’s pursuit of freedom,” Rubio said. Advertisement AboutAboutShow moreAbout UsCode of EthicsTerms and ConditionsEU/EEA Regulatory NoticePrivacy PolicyCookie PolicyCookie PreferencesAccessibility StatementSitemapWork for usConnectConnectShow moreContact UsUser Accounts HelpAdvertise with usStay ConnectedNewslettersChannel FinderTV SchedulePodcastsSubmit a TipPaid Partner ContentOur ChannelsOur ChannelsShow moreAl Jazeera ArabicAl Jazeera EnglishAl Jazeera Investigative UnitAl Jazeera MubasherAl Jazeera DocumentaryAl Jazeera BalkansAJ+Our NetworkOur NetworkShow moreAl Jazeera Centre for StudiesAl Jazeera Media InstituteLearn ArabicAl Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human RightsAl Jazeera ForumAl Jazeera Hotel PartnersFollow Al Jazeera English: