Cuban court rejects artist's early release appeal: NGO

A Cuban court has denied a request for the early release of dissident artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara less than three months before the end of his sentence, an NGO said Tuesday.

The 38-year-old artist, designated a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International, was sentenced to five years in prison in 2022 for insulting national symbols, contempt and disturbing the public order.

He was detained in July 2021, as he was leaving his home in Havana to join unprecedented mass protests across the communist island.

Cuba's Supreme Court on April 7 rejected Otero Alcantara's request on appeal for early release as no reductions were granted for good behavior, the Miami-based NGO Cubalex said in a statement. His sentence will run until July 9.

The artist rose to prominence in 2020 as a member of the San Isidro movement, a group of artists and intellectuals advocating for greater freedom of expression.

In mid-March, the Cuban government pledged to release 51 prisoners following an agreement with the Vatican, a historic mediator between Cuba and the United States, which are currently engaged in talks.

To date, human rights organizations have confirmed the release of 24 prisoners, the majority of whom participated in the summer 2021 protests.

Havana denies the existence of political prisoners and accuses opposition figures being US agents working to destabilize the communist country.