The Cuban artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara spent two days in prison last week it has emerged. The artist, a longtime critic of the Cuban government, was arrested during a thirty-day performance in which he stood outside the Museum of Dissidence with a Cuban flag draped over his shoulders. Earlier this year the Cuban regime introduced laws to regulate the use of national symbols.
The arrest and quick release of state enemies has become a hallmark tactic of the government, ensuring that by the time news reaches international press and NGOs the victim has been released. Alcántara was arrested in December last year protesting Decree 349, laws governing the private display of artworks, described at the time by Amnesty International as ‘dystopian’.
20 August 2019
