Cuba: Freedom House Welcomes Release of Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, Calls for Release of Other Political Prisoners

Jamie Fly, CEO of Freedom House, issued the following statement:  

“Freedom House welcomes the release of Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara. We commend the Trump administration, other democratic governments, and Cuban civil society for maintaining pressure on the regime, exposing the extent of its abuses, and championing the Cuban people’s aspirations for freedom. That freedom is closer than ever. We will continue to advocate for the more than 1,300 political prisoners still detained in Cuba for speaking out against decades of repression and corruption.”

Brian Tronic, director of Freedom House’s Fred Hiatt Program to Free Political Prisoners, issued the following statement: 

“The five years that Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara spent in prison are a testament to the cruel and lawless nature of the Cuban regime, which will go to any lengths to silence and punish dissent. Even his release does not end the regime’s persecution—because it was conditioned on exile, Otero Alcántara has been forced to leave his homeland behind—without knowing when, or if, he will return. We reiterate our call for the Cuban authorities to stop criminalizing free expression and to release its many political prisoners.”