They arrest a group of artists who are protesting in front of the Capitol against Decree 349

The artists Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, Amaury Pacheco, OmniPoeta, Iris Ruiz and Soandry Del Rio were arrested Saturday afternoon in front of the Capitol of Havana after an attempt to protest Decree 349, recently approved and regulating the presentations . artistic in private spaces.

According to Yanelys Núñez, the artistic action was that Luis Manuel Otero "would cover his body with human excrement" and display a poster with the words "free art". The curator adds that another of the detainees was the artist José Ernesto Alonso.

By the time Núñez arrived at the Capitol, he saw that a police patrol had arrested the five artists and decided to do the performance on their own. "I'm full of shit now but I go to the Cuba Police Unit and Chacón to ask if they're there," he told the newspaper by phone.

At half past six, Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara also denounced the 14 and a half telephone arrest of the Zanja unit and confirmed that Iris Ruiz, Amaury Pacheco and Soandry del Río were arrested next to him.

Arriving at the unit in Cuba and Chacón around 8:30 pm, Yanelys Núñez was able to speak to José Ernesto Alonso who had just been released after his detention and Iris Ruiz was released shortly after time after.

Luis Manuel Otero, Amaury Pacheco and Soandry del Río were transferred to Vivac, a detention center. in Calabazar, south of Havana, accused of public disorder "

However, at the police station on Zanja Street in Centro Habana, the agents informed the curator that Luis Manuel Otero, Amau ry Pacheco and Soandry del Río were transferred to the Vivac (detention center of Calabazar, south of Havana) "accused of public disorder" and, in the case of Otero, also accused of "aggression" against the police, for oneself -describing to hit the patrol.The three must wait for the trial behind bars

At the demonstration in front of the Capitol, the conservative shouted that they were against decree 349. "We are artists, we want respect we are asking to meet the Minister of Culture. "He also claims that Otero Alcántara was beaten to put him in the patrol and that Pacheco was taken away because he refused to show the card. Identity to the police.

Several ar They denounced the fact that Decree 349, published on 10 July in the Official Gazette, limits the free creation of Cuban artists and their presentations in public spaces.

The new decree, included in a broader set of measures, serves the Mincult to control the presentations of artists and musicians and to leave the door open to institutional censorship. The text provides for fines, seizures and even the possible loss of the permit against self-employed persons who hire musicians to perform concerts in private bars and clubs as well as in public spaces without the authorization of the Ministry of Culture (Mincult) or Recruitment Agencies

Similarly, the decree punishes painters or artists who sell their works without permission from the state. It also allows to punish those who project audiovisuals containing scenes of violence, badgraphy, badist or vulgar language, to use national symbols in a manner contrary to the legislation in force or to convey messages. discriminatory against others. badual orientation, disability and any other "detrimental to human dignity".

According to the letter of the decree, state entities or private enterprises broadcasting music or programming artistic presentations in which violence is encouraged "with badist, vulgar, discriminatory and obscene language" will be sanctioned in the same way. The decree reaches the literature prohibiting the sale of books of "natural and legal" people that include "content that is harmful to ethical and cultural values". is committed to doing serious journalism that reflects the reality of deep Cuba. Thank you for joining us on this long road. We invite you to continue to support us, but this time by becoming a member of 14ymedio . Together, we can continue to transform journalism in Cuba.