HAVANA – Cuban graffiti artist El Sexto, whose real names is Danilo Maldonado, has been freed after spending 10 months behind bars for a performance art piece in which he planned to display two pigs painted with the names of Raúl and Fidel Castro.

Maldonado has been held without charge in Cuba since December 25, 2014, “simply because I made fun of the highest leaders of this revolution.”

The Voice Project is one international human rights organizations with the longest running advocacy campaigns to secure Maldonado’s freedom as its focus is on imprisoned artists around the globe, having previously managed the international funding campaign to free Pussy Riot as well as having been one of the main advocates for Tania Bruguera’s freedom, also recently released from detention in Cuba. “It was sudden, but that’s often the way with these arbitrary detentions, the main thing is we’re just thrilled for Danilo, of course,” said Voice Project executive director Hunter Heaney.  “I was in prison this morning and they told me to get my things and I obeyed,” Maldonado said. “Afterwards, they told that they were finally going to set me free.”

“Now I am going to try to recover my energy and be with my daughter,” Maldonado told Reuters by telephone. “I want to travel to the United States in the future and thank all the people who supported the cause to have me freed.”

“We certainly want to thank everyone in The Voice Project community from all over the world, everyone who wrote letters, shared stories, came out to actions, everyone who got behind Danilo and wouldn’t let him sit there alone in that place,” said Heaney. “Advocacy works, and when we shout together, our voices can get loud enough to make a difference. We’re seeing that time and time again.”