Cuban political prisoner and musician Maykel Castillo Pérez, known as "Maykel Osorbo," was removed from Kilo 8 prison in the western province of Pinar del Río, and his whereabouts remain unknown, according to activist Anamely Ramos, who said Friday that authorities have provided no explanation for the transfer.
"We have learned, through a source acting in solidarity, that Maykel Castillo was taken today from Kilo 8 prison in Pinar del Río, where he had been held since being transferred there in January of this year," Ramos wrote on social media.
She explained that officials from the prison arrived at the artist's quarters and ordered him to gather all his belongings before taking him away.
"They simply came to his cell and told him to pack up all his things and took him away. We do not know where or why. If it is a prison transfer, his family should have been officially notified, but that did not happen," the activist reported.
Ramos warned that the lack of information generates deep concern among the musician's family and close friends, as he was sentenced to nine years in prison following the protests of July 11, 2021.
What we know about Luis Manuel and his whereabouts
The report comes just days after fellow artist and political prisoner Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara completed his sentence and was taken from Guanajay prison by State Security, which has kept him to this day in an undisclosed location. However, there are no updates regarding him either.
So far, here has been no information about Otero Alcántara's whereabouts or details on when the parole process he requested to travel to the United States will conclude. His associates maintain that he remains under State Security control and that neither family nor friends have been able to communicate freely with him, despite Ramos reporting hours earlier that she had received a brief "speakerphone" call from the leader of the San Isidro Movement, during which he did not provide details about his whereabouts or situation.
The activist and political prisoner was supposed to be released on July 9 after fully serving the five-year sentence imposed by the Cuban regime following the 11J protests. Otero is recognized as a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International. Likewise, Human Rights Watch and PEN International have repeatedly called for his immediate and unconditional release.
The coincidence of both cases once again highlights the situation of two of the most emblematic faces of the San Isidro Movement. While Maykel Castillo's whereabouts remain unknown following his removal from Kilo 8, there is also no official update on Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, whose fate remains uncertain.
