At least 56 people died in custody in Cuba in the last two years

The non-governmental organization Cubalex, dedicated to monitoring respect for human rights in Cuba and providing free legal assistance on the island, has detected 56 deaths of individuals under the custody of the country's authorities in the last two years. Violence is the main cause of death in these cases.

In a report shared on the social network X (formerly Twitter), Cubalex explains that between January 2022 and January 2024 (the only available records), they have identified 36 inmates who died while serving sentences, 9 who died in police stations, and 11 recruits who have lost their lives while completing military service. It is only known that one of the deceased persons was a political prisoner detained on July 11 (Luis Barrios Díaz). These data have been gathered from family testimonies, news reports, and statements from organizations dedicated to the defense of human rights on the island.

The majority of the deceased are men, with an average age of 32 years, and in the case of prisoners, they are considered "common inmates." Out of the total deceased (56), seven were of Afro-descendant descent and 15 had very deteriorated health at the time of death. In no case have there been convictions of regime officials, nor did the bodies show signs of violence.

According to the Cubalex report, suicide is the second leading cause of death among inmates, although cases have also been documented among young people serving in the Military Service. The most recent case that came to light was that of Leandro Muñoz Zamora, who jumped from a military truck that was taking him away from his family, even though he had a psychological report indicating that he was suffering from a mental illness.

When talking about young people who died in the Military Service, Cubalex directly attributes responsibility to the State, considering that it "has created the conditions" for such deaths to occur. Among them, lack of adequate medical care and exposing the young to dangerous conditions without proper safety measures or adequate training to face certain situations are cited.

According to the explanation provided, they have also identified denial of medical care, violence, suicides, use of disciplinary measures, hunger strikes, work accidents, granting of non-custodial leave to prevent deaths in prison, and negligence by authorities as among the main causes of death in custody.

"The cases analyzed reveal a pattern of negligence, abuse, and lack of accountability on the part of the Cuban state," says Cubalex, highlighting that they also expose "a systematic pattern of human rights violations against individuals in state custody, exacerbated by the lack of adequate, independent, and transparent investigations that ensure impunity for those responsible."

The regions of the country that concentrate the most deaths in custody are Camagüey (7) and Santiago de Cuba (6). However, the study warns that "deaths in custody have occurred in almost all of the Cuban territory, affecting individuals of various age groups and social conditions. This suggests a systemic and widespread problem that requires urgent attention."