Cuba ends hunger strike by dissident artist Otero Alcántara

HAVANA.- Cuban government today ended hunger strike by dissident artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, leader of a group denouncing state censorship of free speech, and island authorities said the man was in stable condition after a week without eating.

A note released by Havana’s Public Health Department stated that Otero Alcántara, 33, was sent to a public hospital on Sunday morning for “self-inflicted food deprivation” and that he arrived at the health center in an ambulance, “walking without difficulty”.

The dissident spent seven days without food or fluids.

the San Isidro Movement, led by performance artist Otero Alcántara, is an opposition group that includes dozens of writers, creators and activists.

The health department said the hospital found no signs of malnutrition or other chemical imbalances, but maintained that Otero Alcántara had been hospitalized, was in stable condition and was receiving medical treatment.

Members of the San Isidro movement said that State security forced Otero Alcántara to leave his home and he was being held, presumably in the hospital. They questioned the report and asked for more information.

“How is it possible that I have no signs of malnutrition or dehydration after being on a hunger and thirst strike for more than seven days?” The group asked on a Twitter account.

Otero Alcántara’s house was surrounded by police for days, with no one entering or leaving during his hunger strike. People can survive for more than a month without food, but rarely can they go more than 10 days without solid or liquid food.

In November, members of San Isidro went on hunger strike against censorship and harassment of independent creators and activists by the government. The police put an end to the action, causing an unusual demonstration of some 300 people in front of the Ministry of Culture.

Unlike other dissident groups in Cuba, San Isidro is visible on social media and is well connected with the diaspora and exile organizations in various countries.

Otero Alcantara He demanded by his protest by the hunger strike that the state return his confiscated works. In addition, he called for freedom of expression and an end to police harassment.

THE NATION