Exiled Cuban artist Otero Alcantara has arrived in the US, Rubio confirms | Story

Otero Alcántara is part of the San Isidro Movement, which has been involved in the repression of Cuba.

Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara, the famous Cuban artist who spent five years in prison, has arrived in the United States, where he is expected to remain in exile.

The Secretary of State of America Marco Rubio confirmed the arrival of Alcantara on Saturday and asked the Cuban government to release another 700 political prisoners held in the country.

Otero Alcantara, 38, was sentenced to five years in prison for insulting national symbols, insulting and disturbing public order.

The artist is a co-founder of Cuba’s San Isidro Movement, a group of artists and intellectuals who want more freedom in Cuba. Members of the group have been “seeking” repression by the Cuban authorities, according to Amnesty International.

“Trying to imagine a free Cuba, they were tortured, arrested and imprisoned again and again, but today they are in exile,” Rubio said.

Rubio also called for the “immediate release” of “700 unjustly imprisoned prisoners” in Cuba.

Rights groups have repeatedly called on the Cuban authorities to release hundreds of political prisoners.

Financial problems with the US embassy in Cuba have grown in recent years as tensions between the two countries escalate.

Earlier this week, the US Treasury Department approved by the Cuban Ministry of Tourism and other tourism-related organizations in the country, which serve as a source of income for the remote Caribbean island.

Cuban power construction is on the verge of collapse due to the US oil shutdown, and power outages have affected millions on the island.

“The Trump administration remains committed to the freedom of the Cuban people,” Rubio said.