U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Weston, has penned a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio asking the Trump administration to help free hundreds of political prisoners she says have been wrongfully detained by the Cuban authoritarian regime.
The South Florida lawmaker, in her letter Thursday to Rubio, specifically notes the illegal detention of Latin Grammy-winning rapper Maykel "Osorbo" Castillo Pérez and performance artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara.
"The Cuban regime has no plans to release Maykel and Luis Manuel, and I have no confidence that rewarding the Cuban dictatorship will significantly improve its despicable record or improve the conditions of ordinary Cubans," wrote Wasserman Schultz. "Therefore, I request that the Administration take immediate action to push for their release."
Castillo Pérez is a Cuban rapper and artist who has won two Latin Grammy awards. He and other Cuban artists co-authored the song "Patria y Vida," which became the anthem for the July 2021 mass demonstrations. He was detained May 18, 2021. Thirteen months later, Cuban authorities sentenced him to nine years in prison.
Otero Alcántara is a Cuban visual and performance artist and member of the anti-censorship San Isidro Movement. He was arrested and imprisoned after posting a video online to announce he would be participating in the July 21 protests.
Wasserman Schultz's letter is timed to mark four years since thousands of people filled Cuba's streets and public squares in what was seen as the country's largest outpouring of protest in decades. The protesters were then venting their frustrations over shortages, long lines and a lack of political options. Some were drawn to the marches by calls on social media, while others joined in spontaneously when marchers passed by.
State Department Deputy Secretary Christopher Landau has met with Cuban democracy and human rights advocates "reaffirming the United States' steadfast support for freedom and democracy in Cuba," department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said Thursday.
"Secretary Rubio's video message to the group made clear the Trump administration promotes accountability for the Cuban regime's human rights violations, and continues to stand with the Cuban people in their pursuit of freedom and prosperity," Bruce said.
Hundreds were arrested during the unrest July 11-12, 2021. Some were sentenced to up to 25 years in prison.
Cuba announced this year that it was releasing 553 prisoners, including political prisoners, "in the spirit of" then Pope Francis' 2025 Holy Year. Francis died in April.
In her letter to Rubio, who is Cuban-American and the former Florida senator, Wasserman Schultz wrote that the released political prisoners "are still not free — rather, they are required to comply with burdensome conditions, including travel restrictions, forced labor, and a prohibition on activism and public statements."
She noted the Cuban government has imprisoned other political prisoners and rearrested "pro-democracy activists" José Daniel Ferrer García and Félix Navarro Rodríguez.
More than 1,000 political prisoners in Cuba are in prison or under severe restrictions such as house arrests, according to Wasserman Schultz.
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