Elizam Escobar dies from cancer

Born on May 24, 1948, Escobar stood out as a fighter for the independence of Puerto Rico, which landed him in jail in 1980 after being accused of seditious conspiracy and sentenced to 68 years in prison in the United States.

Released 20 years ago along with other political prisoners of the Armed Forces of National Liberation (FALN) and the Popular Boricua Army (EPB-Macheteros) in the face of the demands of the Puerto Rican people and international solidarity, he returned to Puerto Rico, where he dedicated himself to paint and write.

His last artistic exhibition was in November, at the Casa de los Contrafuertes cultural center, where he presented works in miniatures, alongside artists like Luis Alonso, with whom he collaborated for years.

In prison, Escobar did not stop painting and writing about the theory of art and poetry.

After being pardoned, he joined the faculty of the School of Plastic Arts and Design of Puerto Rico, where he was working at the time of his death.

Escobar had overcome a cancer condition in 2018, after discovering a benign polyp on his face, which was bleeding, and since he did not treat it, it spread.

In a third operation, they removed a muscle from his thigh, which was implanted in his forehead, and since then he has been evaluated almost weekly.

In a 2018 interview with the Puerto Rican El Vocero newspaper, the artist said that his health condition had improved although 'as a side effect of this biological therapy I have inflammatory arthritis and I must use an instrument to speak and be understood.'