Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara, the head of the Cuban dissident movement who is now incarcerated, received the yearly prize from a Norwegian human rights group for his “fearless opposition to authoritarianism through art”.
The Rafto Prize has been won by four previous winners: Shirin Ebadi of Iran, Kim Dae-jung of South Korea, Jose Ramos-Horta of East Timor, and Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar.
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On October 11, in Oslo, the Peace Prize for this year will be presented.
the Norwegian foundation noted in a release, “The 2024 Rafto prize aims to highlight the importance of the work of Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara and other artists in challenging power structures and defending democracy and human rights, both in Cuba and globally.”
In 2022, a court in Cuba sentenced the dissident artist to five years in prison. The case was widely publicized, drawing criticism from human rights organizations for being a “farce,” but according to Cuban state media, it was a fair trial for “common crimes.”
The 36-year-old artist was well-known for being a part of the San Isidro Movement, an artists’ collective that organized several demonstrations over a two-year period in Havana. After then, many the group fled Cuba, citing persecution by the government.
The Rafto Foundation has joined Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International in urging the Cuban government to free him. In addition to a diploma, the winner receives a $20,000 prize.
