Cuban dissident freed by Havana after five years arrives in US

Fabiola Zerpa, Bloomberg News on Jul 18, 2026

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A Cuban dissident and artist arrived in Miami in an unusual prisoner release by the island’s authorities, as Cuba faces an economic pressure campaign by President Donald Trump’s administration.

Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, a prominent anti-government activist, boarded a flight from Cuba to Miami, according to a Facebook post on Saturday. “After five years of unjust imprisonment, Cuban artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara has finally been freed,” read the post, which said he had obtained a visa to enter the U.S.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio welcomed Alcántara’s arrival and called for the immediate release of “the more than 700 unjustly detained political prisoners” held by the government in Havana.

Alcántara was arrested five years ago after Cubans took to the streets in widespread protests that led to a crackdown by authorities, resulting in more than 5,000 arrests and international condemnation.

Freedom House, an advocacy group, also welcomed Alcántara’s release and called for Cuban authorities to free all political detainees.

The Trump administration has recently imposed sanctions on Cuba’s Ministry of Tourism and several state-owned companies, as it steps up pressure aimed at dislodging the 67-year-old regime. Cuba has said it’s willing to make economic reforms and negotiate with the U.S., but that its one-party system isn’t up for debate.

(Jim Wyss contributed to this report.)