Cuban dissident arrives in US

Miami: Cuban dissident artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara arrived in Miami on Saturday after being released from a five-year prison sentence on condition that he leave Cuba.

The 38-year-old was granted parole by the United States and was welcomed by supporters waving Cuban flags. He said he accepted exile to escape persecution and continue his art and activism.

Alcántara, co-founder of the San Isidro Movement, was jailed in 2022 on charges including public disorder and contempt after his arrest during anti-government protests in 2021. Human rights groups, including Amnesty Interna­tional, had described him as a political prisoner, a claim rejected by the Cuban government. Supporters called for the release of other jailed dissidents, including artiste Maykel Castillo Pérez. —AP