After being wrongfully incarcerated for nearly a year, Danilo Maldonado a.k.a ‘El Sexto’ has finally been released. The Cuban graffiti artist had been held against his will without due process after he was caught with two pigs marked with the words “Fidel’ and “Raúl,” respectively. After he was arrested, the government teased him with several release dates until this week. According to The Guardian, Maldonado finally became a free man on Tuesday (Oct. 20).
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“I was in prison this morning and they told me to get my things and I obeyed,” El Sexto said. “Afterwards, they told that they were finally going to set me free.”
While he was imprisoned, El Sexto went on two hunger strikes in opposition of the Cuban government. He told The Miami Herald about his first hunger strike, during which he was held in a double-walled cell for 22 days. If it wasn’t for his many supporters, Maldonado believes he would still be behind bars. “The key for the lock was held by the official on guard, so if you faint, the guard of the cell has to go and look for the key,” he said about his first hunger strike to The Miami Herald. “The conditions are extreme in order to break you.”
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Alegría por la liberación del artista cubano Danilo Maldonando conocido como #ElSexto ¡Viva la #libertadexpresión! pic.twitter.com/I8g607YqRB
— Amnistía España (@amnistiaespana) October 21, 2015
El Sexto will most likely continue his art work. However, for now, the artist plans to spend most of his free time with his daughter and eventually make his move to Miami.