Cuban Dissident Artist Cleared to Travel to US After Whereabouts Unknown

Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, imprisoned for years over his art and activism, has been granted permission to leave Cuba following the end of his sentence.

Cuban dissident artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara has been given permission to travel to the United States, according to his official Facebook page, after his whereabouts had been unknown following the end of his prison term last week, the Guardian reported.

Otero Alcántara, designated a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International, was sentenced to five years in prison in 2022 on charges of insulting national symbols, contempt and disturbing public order. His case drew international attention as emblematic of Cuba's crackdown on artists and activists who took part in the island's 2021 protests.

Details of his release and travel plans remain limited, but his ability to leave the country marks a significant turn for an artist whose work and public dissent made him one of the most closely watched figures among Cuba's community of independent artists.

— Compiled from reporting by the Guardian.