With at least 17 Cuban artists imprisoned, sustained global visibility and solidarity are vital to prevent normalisation of the silencing of artists. It becomes increasingly urgent to insist on a simple fact: Cuban musicians remain behind bars, and with each passing month, the risk grows that their imprisonment becomes routine.
Cuba’s deepening social and economic crisis has intensified hardship across the island, as fuel shortages, disruptions to health and water services, and prolonged electricity cuts undermine access to food, medicine and clean water. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has warned that these conditions are severely affecting the enjoyment of fundamental rights, including the right to life and access to essential services. In parallel, Amnesty International has documented thousands of Cubans nationwide took to the streets in the largest anti-government protests in decades that since the nationwide protests of July 2021, where thousands took to the streets against government authoritarianism, restrictions on civil liberties, strict COVID-19 lockdown measures, and unfulfilled economic and political reforms.
Cuban authorities have mass-arrested and prosecuted protesters, artists, and government critics on broad charges like sedition and public disorder. Many have received disproportionate prison sentences through legal proceedings that raise serious due process concerns.
According to the Observatorio Cubano de Derechos Culturales (Cuban Observatory of Cultural Rights), at least 17 artists remained imprisoned at the end of 2025 as a consequence of their creative practice or civic engagement.
Maykel Castillo Pérez, Cuban rapper known as “Maykel Osorbo” was arrested in May 2021 and, on 24 June 2022, was sentenced by the Municipal Court of Centro Habana to nine years in prison. He was convicted of contempt, defamation of institutions and organisations, of “heroes” and “martyrs”, assault and public disorder. His prosecution took place in the broader context of his artistic and political expression, including his participation in the song Patria y Vida, which went viral and became associated with the July 2021 protests.
On 3 December 2025, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights issued Report No. 251/25, Case 14.264, concluded that the Cuban State used criminal law to punish Castillo Peréz’s artistic expression and protest activity. The Commission found violations of freedom of expression, personal liberty and due process guarantees, and called for an end to his harassment. Castillo Pérez remains imprisoned.
Fernando Almenares Rivera, Cuban rapper and visual artist known as “Nando OBDC” Fernando Almenares Rivera was arrested on 31 December 2024 in Havana after police searched his home. During the search, officers reportedly photographed his artwork and confiscated personal items. Authorities initially informed his family that he was under investigation for alleged terrorism-related conduct, citing supposed links to individuals abroad. Cuban authorities often cite the Cuban diaspora, human rights organisations and media outlets abroad as waging ‘terrorism’. In the weeks that followed, the accusation was reformulated as “propaganda against the constitutional order” for acts including placing banners in public spaces demanding respect for human rights and disseminating messages critical of government policies.
During the first days of his detention, Almenares Rivera was reportedly held incommunicado, with no access to his family. In January 2026, the Cuban authorities confirmed that the musician had been sentenced to five years in prison for propaganda against the constitutional order related to having disseminated messages in support of human rights. Almenares, the coordinator of the independent project Arte Prohibido, had been active in promoting artistic freedom. His conviction illustrates how symbolic protest and artistic activism are prosecuted through criminal law.
Wilmer Moreno Suárez, Cuban singer and composer known as “Mister Will D’Cuba” was arrested in July 2021 following protests in La Güinera, Havana. He was later sentenced to 18 years’ imprisonment for sedition, one of the longest sentences imposed on demonstrators connected to the July 11 protests. His artistic profile and alleged external contacts were reportedly cited as evidence against him. Moreno has challenged his conviction, and has reported harsh detention conditions in Combinado del Este prison. Despite his incarceration, he continues writing music.
Many of the artists prosecuted in protest-related cases come from working-class neighbourhoods and Afro-descendant communities. Their music documents lived experiences from Cuba’s social margins. The social and racial profile of those sentenced raises concerns regarding disproportionate enforcement and the criminalisation of critical urban voices.
Independent civil society initiatives continue to document these cases. The Observatorio Cubano de Derechos Culturales records ongoing violations, while the Mesa de la Juventud Cubana (Cuban Youth Roundtable) advances the Exprésate (Speak Out campaign), encouraging sustained visibility and solidarity.
On Music Freedom Day, the passage of time cannot be allowed to deepen the silence. Visibility interrupts normalisation of repression. Solidarity counters isolation. Cuban musicians continue to remain behind bars. The urgency lies in refusing to let that fact become ordinary.
Listen to the artists’ music:
Maykel Osorbo : https://youtu.be/gX_ft26oMXY?si=3Z4yUS03jQD9LAan
Nando OBDC: https://youtu.be/ENCT-LjTEEc?si=pqh9J5wUPbefJfp6 “Freedom for Nando OBDC” is a creation by Nando OBDC, Kxmy Inxane, Qco El Gancho and Ombusdman: https://youtu.be/98VFb3z3THg
Míster Will D´Cuba: https://youtu.be/EEyM8da2wSY?si=Xnz6s4G3yZ0BAg1o
By Diana Arévalo, Freemuse’s Latin America regional researcher, and a researcher and multimedia producer for “Bulla”, the Cartel Urbano Foundation’s artistic freedom radar.
