US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday urged Cuba to immediately release more than 700 political prisoners, coinciding with the arrival of a prominent Cuban dissident artist in Miami after spending five years in prison.

Rubio confirmed in a statement the arrival of artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara to the United States, adding: 'We demand the immediate release of more than 700 political prisoners unjustly held by the regime,' according to Agence France-Presse.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (AFP)

A post on a Facebook page run by the artist's friends said Otero Alcántara plans to perform in Miami later today. Otero Alcántara, a self-taught performance artist, sculptor and painter, emerged in 2020 as a leader of the 'San Isidro' protest movement, which brought together artists and intellectuals.

File photo of artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara (AFP)

He was detained in July 2021 while leaving his home in Havana to join massive unprecedented protests against the government.

In 2022, a Cuban court sentenced Otero Alcántara, classified as a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International, to five years in prison for insulting national symbols, contempt, and disturbing public order.

Rubio described the artist's protest movement as a 'beacon of hope,' noting in a statement that the only 'crime' Otero Alcántara committed was his refusal to remain silent and his use of art to demand the fundamental freedoms ordinary Cuban citizens have been denied for seven decades. He added: 'The international community must stop turning a blind eye to the Cuban regime's human rights violations and join us in demanding an end to its repressive practices.'

Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, Cuban dissident artist, embraces family members after arriving in Miami (Reuters)

Otero Alcántara is considered one of the most prominent figures in Cuba's new opposition movement, and was awarded the Norwegian Rafto Prize for Human Rights in 2024 'in recognition of his courageous opposition to tyranny through art.'

His release comes at a time of heightened tension in relations between Havana and Washington.

In early July, during a debate in the United Nations General Assembly on US sanctions against Cuba, US Ambassador Mike Waltz held up a picture of Otero Alcántara to denounce the lack of freedom of expression on the island.

According to a count by human rights organizations, between 700 and 1,000 political prisoners remain behind bars in Cuba.