Summary
The dissident rapper has been in pretrial detention for more than three months, and authorities rejected a new request to change the precautionary measure for health reasons.
He suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and type 1 diabetes, and episodes of hypertension have been reported during his incarceration.
He remains in prison 1580, in Havana, without a prosecutor's request or trial date, under an accusation of public disorder.
Cuban authorities rejected a new request to modify the precautionary measure of provisional imprisonment imposed on independent rapper Andrés Matos Alcántara, known artistically as MC K-Libre, despite his chronic illnesses and concerns about his health status during imprisonment.
The denial was communicated to his family in Cuba, according to reported The musician Raudel Collazo, known as Escuadrón Patriota. Collazo confirmed that the appeal filed by the defense to request a change in the precautionary measure, based on the artist's health problems, was rejected again.
Matos Alcántara suffers Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and type 1 diabetes mellitus are conditions that require medical monitoring and ongoing treatment. In addition, reports have surfaced in recent months of episodes of hypertension while he has been hospitalized.
Since September, the rapper has been in prison 1580, in Havana, where he was transferred from the Valle Grande prison. So far, no prosecution request has been filed nor has a trial date been announced.
The artist is accused of the alleged crime of public disorder, although the lack of a prosecutorial request and a trial date keeps the progress of the criminal process without public definition.
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Raudel Collazo denounced that the authorities were being "especially cruel in his case" due to the rapper's critical stance toward the Cuban regime. The latest denial prolongs his imprisonment despite the medical problems reported by his family.
Arrest following a police summons
On June 25, 2026, Andrés Matos Alcántara voluntarily went to a National Revolutionary Police (PNR) facility in Havana after receiving an official summons for a supposed "interview." However, once he appeared before the authorities, He was detained and transported in a patrol car.
Following his arrest, his family and friends were unable to obtain official information about his whereabouts or independently confirm his location. For approximately one day, the artist remained incommunicado and was subjected to enforced disappearance.
Later, he was transferred to Valle Grande prison and, in September, to prison 1580, where he currently remains.
The public disorder charge is related to his alleged participation in protests and pot-banging demonstrations in the Barbosa neighborhood of Havana's Playa municipality. His family has questioned the charges and denounced irregularities in the handling of the case.
His continued pretrial detention, the absence of a trial date, and concerns about his health raise questions about procedural guarantees, access to effective defense, and the protection of his physical integrity during deprivation of liberty.
Cubalex filed an urgent action before the UN Committee against Enforced Disappearances
On June 29, 2026, Cubalex reported that the United Nations Committee against Enforced Disappearances (CED) had activated an urgent action following a request submitted by the organization regarding the detention and incommunicado detention of Andrés Matos Alcántara.
The application was registered under file number AU No. 2345/2026, Under Article 30 of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, the Committee requested the Cuban State to take urgent measures to search for, locate, and protect the rapper, and set a deadline of July 14, 2026, for it to submit an official report on the case.
The urgent action was prompted by the lack of official information regarding the legal basis for the arrest, the location of the detention, and the conditions in which the artist was being held. Authorities initially refused to confirm his presence at the police station and did not allow his family to verify his whereabouts or ascertain his physical condition.
The Committee also expressed concern about Matos' medical condition, given his type 1 diabetes and COPD, diseases that require specialized care and regular access to medication.
Among the measures requested of the Cuban State were to inform the rapper's exact location, formally specify the charges and legal basis of his detention, guarantee access for his family and representatives to information about his legal situation, and facilitate medical care and essential medicines.
Cubalex holds the Cuban State responsible for the life, safety, and physical and psychological integrity of Andrés Matos Alcántara, and will continue to document the circumstances of his deprivation of liberty and the violations of his rights.