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Cuban protester being held by police

Cuba: Writers and artists remain threatened and imprisoned two months after protests

Open LetterSeptember 16, 2021

In the two months since historic mass demonstrations swept through Cuba on July 11, there have been at least 39 documented arrests of artists related to the protests, four… More

Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara and Maykel Osorbo after their arrest in cuba

Cuban Artist Under House Arrest Begins Hunger and Thirst Strike

Press ReleaseApril 26, 2021

Independent Cuban artist and activist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara announced that he would begin a hunger and thirst strike this week after being placed under de facto house arrest.… More

Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara and Maykel Osorbo after their arrest in cuba

PEN America Decries Detention and Apparent Assault of Cuban Artists

Press ReleaseJune 13, 2020

"Such brutal harassment merely confirms a constant trend of repression and violence toward dissident voices in Cuba." More

picture of luis manuel otero alcantara

Dissident Cuban Artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara Freed After 13 Days in Jail

Press ReleaseMarch 16, 2020

“We are overjoyed to learn that Luis Manuel has been freed from jail and will be able to reunite with his friends and family and return to his work." More

picture of luis manuel otero alcantara

PEN America Condemns Detention of Cuban Artist, Demands Charges Be Dropped

Press ReleaseMarch 4, 2020

The arrest of Cuban artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara on fabricated charges is an indefensible violation of freedom of expression and basic human dignity. More

picture of luis manuel otero alcantara

Persecuted Cuban Artist Being Held, His Location Unknown

Press ReleaseNovember 13, 2019

"We call on the Cuban government to disclose Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara’s whereabouts and detention status and to release him immediately.” More

picture of artists Jorge Olivera Castillo and Nancy Alfaya

PEN America Calls for the Immediate Release of Independent Cuban Activist

Press ReleaseOctober 23, 2019

“Jorge Olivera Castillo and Nancy Alfaya’s arrest, just a mere weeks after a previous arrest on September 30, is evidence of the Cuban government’s intolerable efforts to silence independent… More

picture of artists Jorge Olivera Castillo and Nancy Alfaya

PEN America Says Arrest of Cuban Artists Part of an Ongoing Campaign of Harassment

Press ReleaseOctober 2, 2019

“The arrest of Nancy Alfaya and continual harassment she and her husband Jorge Olivera Castillo have experienced are part of a deeply disturbing trend of silencing independent artists and… More

Art Under Pressure report cover

Institutionalizing Censorship: Cuba’s Decree 349 Poses Expansive Restrictions on Artistic Freedom, PEN America Artists at Risk Connection White Paper Warns

Press ReleaseMarch 4, 2019

Sounding the alarm on the Cuban government’s grave new policy with potentially catastrophic effects for independent artists, PEN America’s Artists at Risk Connection (ARC) issued Art Under Pressure: Decree… More

Art Under Pressure report cover

Art Under Pressure: Decree 349 Restricts Creative Freedom in Cuba

Report

Available in English and Spanish, Art Under Pressure examines the government’s efforts to institutionalize and expand limits on creative expression in Cuba. More

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