OSLO, Norway — A Norwegian human rights foundation gave its annual prize on Thursday to jailed Cuban dissident leader Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara for his “fearless opposition to authoritarianism through art”.
Four past 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 year’s Peace Prize will be announced on Oct. 11 in Oslo.
“The 2024 Rafto prize aims to highlight the importance of the work of Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara and other artists in challenging power structures and defending democracy and human rights, both in Cuba and globally,” the Norwegian foundation said in a statement.
On Thursday, the Rafto foundation called on the Cuban government to release him, joining similar calls by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.
Persons:
Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, Jose Ramos, Kim Dae, Shirin Ebadi —
Organizations:
San Isidro Movement, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International
Locations:
OSLO, Norway, Norwegian, Cuban, Suu Kyi, East, Horta, South, Oslo, Cuba, Havana