Connect Cuba wi-fi logo makes cover of Time Magazine while artist sits in a Cuba jail for attempting “free expression”

Miami, FL – The April 6th, 2015 cover of Time Magazine, titled “Cuba What will change when the Americans arrive” by Karl Vick, features a small hand painted logo for the “Connect Cuba” campaign, whose mission is “to empower Cuban civil society with open, uncensored access to the Internet and the ability to communicate freely with each other and the world.”

Since Connect Cuba’s launch, many human rights activists as well as “artivists” have joined the cause and helped to create awareness for the campaign both inside and outside of Cuba. One of these artivists is Danilo Maldonado Machado, known as “El Sexto”, a young graffiti artist and human rights activist from Havana who is credited with painting the Connect Cuba logo featured on the Time Magazine cover. In addition, Maldonado was a member of the inaugural Somos un solo pueblo scholarship program sponsored by the Foundation for Human Rights in Cuba (FHRC) and hosted by Miami Dade College (MDC) in 2014.

 As of December of last year, Maldonado has been sitting in a Cuban jail cell for his artistic expressions and has yet to stand trial for any supposed “crime” he committed. Family members have stated that Danilo has suffered from pneumonia while in prison and has not received adequate medical attention. The FHRC considers Maldonado a political prisoner and demands his immediate and unconditional release.

Fellow activists have recently been circulating a petition via Change.org to demand Maldonado’s immediate release and using the hashtag #FreeElSexto to promote his cause on social media.

For more information on the Connect Cuba campaign, please click here.