Cuban-American Artist Coco Fusco Reveals Death Threat Against Luis Manuel Otero in Prison

In a recent interview, Cuban-American artist Coco Fusco disclosed alarming details about a death threat made against political prisoner Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara by a Cuban State Security agent. The threat occurred during an inspection at the maximum-security prison in Guanajay, located in Artemisa.

Fusco shared that on March 28, an agent from Department 21 of State Security engaged in a heated confrontation with both Otero and the prison chief. During this altercation, the agent explicitly warned Otero that he would be killed if there were a U.S. invasion.

“He was deeply upset by the comment, and I would be, too,” Fusco remarked. However, she expressed skepticism about the regime's true intentions to carry out such a threat. Fusco referred to the case of Orlando Zapata Tamayo, a political prisoner who died in 2010 after an 86-day hunger strike, causing an international political crisis for the regime.

The threat prompted an immediate reaction from Otero: he began a partial fast, which escalated into a full hunger strike starting on March 30 and lasting until April 6, 2026.

This incident occurs just two months before Otero Alcántara's five-year sentence is set to conclude on July 9, 2026. In April, the Supreme People's Court denied a habeas corpus petition filed by Cubalex, which sought his early release, confirming that he must serve the entire sentence.

Fusco acknowledged the complete uncertainty surrounding Otero's future after his potential release. "I hope the Cuban government allows him to leave the country, but that's still unclear. I also hope the United States permits his entry, although currently, Cubans do not have the right of entry. Hopefully, other countries will offer assistance, but nothing is certain at this point," she stated.

In the interview, Fusco criticized a segment of the international media for attributing Cuba's economic and social disaster solely to Trump’s policies and the embargo. “While it's true that recent restrictions have worsened the situation, Cuba's economic issues cannot be reduced to the embargo or President Trump’s actions,” she pointed out.

According to Fusco, the primary responsibility lies with the Cuban regime itself: "This disaster was created by the Cuban State’s own decisions, the dysfunctionality of its economic system, and decades of neglect in public sector investment. Simplifying this to Trump's actions, in my opinion, distorts reality."

Currently, Fusco is organizing the exhibition "States of Confinement: The Relational Art of Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara," set to open on May 28, 2026, at the Metropolitan Gallery in Mexico City. This exhibition is part of her efforts to bring international attention to the work of the incarcerated artist.