News · Rights
Cubalex warns of fever and an untreated infection in political prisoner MC K-Libre
Rapper Andrés Matos Alcántara, held in Havana's 1580 prison, has had a fever since Sunday and a leg infection consistent with lymphangitis, according to Cubalex; his family asked for a doctor during Monday's visit.
Matos Alcántara, known as MC K-Libre, has a fever, a leg infection with swelling and redness, and pain in the groin area, according to the organization Cubalex, which identifies him as a political prisoner. The symptoms would be consistent with lymphangitis and the fever is said to have started on Sunday, November 8.
The rapper has type 1 diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, conditions that, according to Cubalex, require specialist follow-up, constant monitoring and regular access to medication. He has also had a foot fungus for more than three weeks. He has been in the 1580 prison since September, after being held at Valle Grande.
His relatives asked for him to be seen by a doctor during the visit on Monday, November 9, and a guard told them consultations are held only on Wednesdays at two in the afternoon; the distance to the prison made it hard to return that day. Diario de Cuba says prison authorities are denying him medical care and access to antibiotics.
Cubalex also reported that guards told several inmates not to speak to him, on the grounds that he is a "high-complexity inmate", and linked that practice to forms of harassment and psychological torture against political prisoners in Cuban jails.
Matos Alcántara was detained on June 25, 2026, after voluntarily reporting to a National Revolutionary Police unit in Havana, summoned for a supposed "interview". For about a day his family did not know where he was, an episode Cubalex describes as incommunicado detention and enforced disappearance. The charge, public disorder, relates to his alleged part in protests and pot-banging in the Barbosa neighborhood of Playa, in Havana. He has no trial date and no sentence request from prosecutors, and his family has challenged the charges.
The organization called for his release and demanded specialist medical care, proper treatment and regular access to the medicines he needs.
Sources: Infobae · Diario de Cuba · Serie Yamacoa: Presos políticos en Cuba (Prisoners Defenders)
Data updated: 2026-11-12T04:15:00.000Z