OSLO, Norway — A Norwegian human rights basis gave its annual prize on Thursday to jailed Cuban dissident chief Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara for his “fearless opposition to authoritarianism by means of artwork”.
4 previous laureates of the Rafto prize — Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi, East Timor’s Jose Ramos-Horta, South Korea’s Kim Dae-jung and Iran’s Shirin Ebadi — later went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
This yr’s Peace Prize will likely be introduced on Oct. 11 in Oslo.
“The 2024 Rafto prize goals to spotlight the significance of the work of Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara and different artists in difficult energy constructions and defending democracy and human rights, each in Cuba and globally,” the Norwegian basis mentioned in a press release.
A Cuban courtroom sentenced the artist-dissident in 2022 to 5 years in jail in a high-profile case that human rights teams branded a “farce” however that Cuban state media mentioned was a good trial over “widespread crimes.”
The 36-year-old artist was a outstanding member of the Havana-based San Isidro Motion, an artists collective that led various protests over two years. Most of the group have since left Cuba, alleging authorities repression.
On Thursday, the Rafto basis referred to as on the Cuban authorities to launch him, becoming a member of related calls by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty Worldwide.
The laureate is awarded a diploma and prize cash of $20,000.
