State Security agents and prison officials issued death threats on Friday against political prisoners Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, Daniel Alfaro Frías, and Jorge Ayala, currently held in the maximum-security prison of Guanajay, located in Artemisa province.
In a phone call to Martí Noticias, Alfaro Frías reported the incident, detailing how officers from Department 21, alongside the provincial prison chief Javier Reboso, conducted a cell inspection that escalated into direct confrontations with the inmates.
According to Alfaro's account, the agents provoked Otero Alcántara during the inspection. The artist challenged the regime's military capacity by questioning if they believed four AKM rifles could fend off a foreign invasion.
The officers responded with a chilling threat: "With one of those same AKMs you mentioned, we will come here, and we will kill you right here."
"They were provoking Alcántara... they engaged in a heated exchange and threatened to kill him with an AKM," Alfaro reported.
Alfaro Frías, aged 62, also revealed that he was personally threatened in the event of foreign intervention on the island: "I was told that if the Americans arrive here in Cuba, the first thing they will do is kill us."
The activist, who coordinates the Opponents for a New Republic movement, is serving a nine-year sentence for illicit associations and demonstrations following his arrest in San Antonio de los Baños in 2024.
These threats come just four days after the Artemisa Provincial People's Court denied a habeas corpus petition filed by the organization Cubalex seeking the immediate release of Otero Alcántara. According to his defense, he has already served his five-year sentence when accounting for time in pretrial detention and good behavior reductions.
Otero Alcántara, the leader of the San Isidro Movement, has been imprisoned since July 11, 2021, after attempting to join the widespread anti-government protests that shook Cuba that day.
His health condition is dire: he suffers from chikungunya, skin herpes, intestinal parasites, and infections without receiving adequate medical care, and in December 2025, he embarked on a new hunger strike to protest his detention conditions.
Department 21 of State Security is the counterintelligence division of the Ministry of the Interior, specializing in monitoring and suppressing dissidents. Their involvement in Friday's inspection underscores the political nature of these threats.
Alfaro Frías concluded his report with a stark warning about the overall situation within the prison: "Political prisoners today are in danger of their lives here in the prison, especially here in Guanajay."
Frequently Asked Questions About Political Prisoners in Cuba
Who is Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara?
Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara is a Cuban artist and activist who leads the San Isidro Movement. He has been imprisoned since July 2021 for his participation in anti-government protests.
What is the San Isidro Movement?
The San Isidro Movement is a collective of Cuban artists, activists, and intellectuals advocating for greater freedom of expression and against government repression in Cuba.
What role does Department 21 play in Cuba?
Department 21 is a counterintelligence unit within Cuba's Ministry of the Interior, focused on monitoring and repressing political dissidents and opposition groups.