WASHINGTON, United States, July 19, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday urged Cuba to immediately release more than 700 political prisoners, as a prominent Cuban dissident artist arrived in Miami after five years in prison.

Rubio confirmed in a statement the arrival in the United States of artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara, and added: "We call for the immediate release of the more than 700 unjustly detained political prisoners held by the regime."

"The international community must stop turning a blind eye to the human rights abuses of the Cuban regime and join us in demanding an end to their repression," he said.