Cuba: Rapper Maykel Osorbo’s Daughter Denied Visit
The political prisoner is serving a 9-year sentence for dissent
The 10-year-old girl suffered the cancellation of the visit after long hours of waiting and new pressures against the political prisoner.
HAVANA TIMES – Prison authorities in Pinar del Río prevented Cuban political prisoner Maykel Castillo Osorbo from receiving a scheduled visit from his daughter—who turned 10 on August 22—despite the fact that the visit had been previously authorized.
According to a post on the artist’s official Facebook page, the family arrived early at the Kilo 5 y Medio prison, but the wait dragged on for over four hours under the sun. Finally, the prison warden informed them that the visit was not authorized. “When he knows full well that it was,” the family insisted. They were also not allowed to deliver the bag with belongings for Castillo, forcing them to return home after a long and costly trip.
“The most painful thing was the disappointment of a girl and her father, separated for no reason for over four years,” the post lamented.
The rapper, 42, who had his birthday on August 20, was only able to shout a few words of encouragement to his daughter: “My girl, I love you, be strong like your dad, everything will be okay.” The scene ended with the girl crying in front of several officials. None of them intervened to facilitate the meeting.
The failed visit came just a day after Castillo was released from a punishment cell at the Kilo 8 prison and transferred back to Kilo 5 y Medio. The musician is serving a nine-year prison sentence for the alleged crimes of “contempt,” “assault,” and “public disorder,” routine charges that international organizations have described as political.
Curator and researcher Anamely Ramos, a close friend of the artist, has denounced that the isolation at Kilo 8 was in response to an altercation with another inmate, allegedly provoked by a prison officer. “It is a strategy they have repeated for months, with the main goal of transferring him to another prison,” she explained.
She also warned that figures such as Lazaro de Jesus Domínguez Iglesias, second-in-command of Area 1 at Kilo 5 y Medio, have led the harassment. “They want Maykel to feel harassed inside the prison and also send a message to other inmates about what can happen to them if they rebel,” Ramos stated.
Osorbo is co-author of the song Patria y Vida, along with Yotuel Romero, Gente de Zona, Descemer Bueno, and El Funky. The song, which became an anthem for the July 11, 2021, protests, won two Latin Grammy Awards, has over 16 million views on YouTube, and became a symbol of resistance against the Cuban regime.
Targeted by Repression
Osorbo’s career has been marked by repression. As early as 2018, he was sentenced to a year and a half in prison for alleged “assault,” and after being released on parole, he faced constant arrests. His involvement with the San Isidro Movement—of which he is a founding member—and his participation in the song that directly challenged the Revolution made him a target of even greater persecution.
Both Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have declared Castillo a prisoner of conscience and demand his immediate release. The organization Prisoners Defenders includes him on its list of political prisoners and has repeatedly denounced violations of his human rights.
“We must do everything possible to keep Maykel safe, ensure his physical integrity, and allow him to receive family visits,” Ramos stressed.
Beyond the notoriety of the case, Wednesday’s episode highlights the human cost of repression in Cuba. The failed trip of Osorbo’s young daughter reflects the common situation faced by thousands of Cuban families who endure long distances, high expenses, and bureaucratic arbitrariness to see their unjustly imprisoned loved ones.
First published in Spanish by 14ymedio and translated and posted in English by Havana Times.