Maykel "Osorbo" Castillo Pérez
Detained Since: May 18, 2021.
Charges: Crimes against State Security, public disorder.
Sentence: 9 years in prison.
Biography: Maykel Castillo Pérez, also known as Maykel Osorbo, is a musician and author of independent music in Cuba. He co-founded Movimiento San Isidro (MSI), protesting Decree Law 349. This 2018 law requires the Culture Ministry's approval for public and private cultural activities and allows artistic production to be banned under arbitrary criteria. He is a co-author of "Patria y Vida" ("Homeland and Life"), which became a rallying cry for demonstrations across the country since its release in February 2021. Maykel has been systematically harassed by the Cuban government since 2018 and was detained 121 times, including 13 months detention, from September 23, 2018, to October 23, 2019, for filming a police operation on a public road, and 3,000 Cuban pesos fine in April 2020 for publishing on his Facebook that "a Cuban woman died in the street because of Covid-19".
Following his last arrest on May 18, 2021, Maykel forcibly disappeared for fourteen days and was transferred to the high security 5 y Medio prison in Pinar del Río on May 31, 2021, where he remains. On June 24, 2022, following a closed-door trial with significant police presence, Maykel was sentenced to nine years. He was charged with "contempt" and "public disorder," crimes that the Cuban government commonly uses to criminalize activists and political opponents. The definitions of these crimes in the Criminal Code are ambiguous, and they are used arbitrarily to justify imprisoning people for acts that should not be considered crimes, such as criticizing or insulting an authority. The new Cuban Penal Code, which came into force in December 2022, not only kept these provisions in force but increased the minimum penalties applicable for these crimes. In addition, Maykel was accused of "defaming institutions, organizations, heroes, and martyrs." Both crimes unduly restrict the right to freedom of expression guaranteed in international human rights law. Among Maykel's actions that the court considered criminal was posting texts and images of political protest on social media, participating in demonstrations, and singing a protest song in the street.
On February 2, 2022, following a complaint by seven international NGOs to the Working Group on Arbitrary Detentions, the United Nations found that Maykel Osorbo, had been imprisoned solely for his pro-democracy activism and demanded his release. Since 2021, Maykel has been subject to punishment cells, suspension of regular and conjugal visits, periods of solitary confinement, delays in providing him with necessary medical attention, threats from other inmates, and constant visits from state security, among other acts. On July 14, 2023, Maykel, who has tattooed the words "Patria y Vida" (Homeland and Life) on his arm, sewed his mouth shut to protest the ongoing harassment and threats he has experienced in prison.
Maykel has been denied medical assistance for serious conditions including a failure in the lymphatic system that causes swollen glands, joint pain, and fever. His health deteriorated after each hunger strike. Prison authorities also have refused to give his medical file to his family. In July 2023, after Maykel sewed his mouth shut in protest, the Cuban authorities removed the stiches but according to his family members he couldn't talk properly. His health situation is unknown.
In November 2021, Maykel won two Latin Grammy Awards for "Patria y Vida" (Homeland and Life) as the song of the year. In 2022, Freedom House awarded him and Luis Manuel Otero its Freedom Award as leaders of Cuba's Movimiento San Isidro (MSI).
Advocacy Partner: Amnesty International USA & Freedom House
Advocate: Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL)
Updates:
- On November 7, 2023, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) announced her Defending Freedoms Project advocacy for Maykel "Osorbo" Castillo Pérez and Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara during a speech on the house floor (November 7, 2023, Office of Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz).
- On the anniversary of the pro-democracy protests in Cuba, Rep. Wasserman Schultz released a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio urging him to intervene in the release of Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara and Maykel "Osorbo" Castillo Pérez (July 10, 2025, Office of Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz).