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The project RepresoresCubanos.com, driven by the Foundation for Human Rights in Cuba, included in its registry the chief Noel Morales López, head of the provincial prison of Canaleta, in Ciego de Ávila, who is held responsible for the repression that occurred on February 18 and 19, 2026, following the riot led by prisoners of the facility.
The uprising was initially reported by the leader of UNPACU, José Daniel Ferrer, and later confirmed by the EFE agency based on reports from the NGOs Prisoners Defenders and the Cuban Prison Documentation Center (CDPC).
From inside the prison, recordings circulated with slogans such as "Freedom," "Homeland and Life," and "Down with Díaz-Canel," amid demands for food, mistreatment, lack of water, and unsanitary conditions.
According to testimonies shared by activists, the trigger may have been the alleged beating of a young prisoner who requested food and later appeared hanged, under circumstances that have not been independently verified.
According to the reports, at dawn on the 19th, prison forces, firefighters, special troops known as Black Wasps from the FAR, and Black Berets from the MININT intervened. The use of rubber bullets, pepper spray, and physical violence was reported to control the protest.
José Daniel Ferrer stated that ambulances were entering and exiting the prison and that there were injuries. Meanwhile, Prisoners Defenders preliminarily indicated that there could be “at least 10 inmates killed by riot control forces,” although they emphasized that this figure is undergoing independent verification.
As of now, there is no official confirmation regarding deaths or injuries.
The published report on Morales López attributes alleged violations of the personal integrity of prisoners and the United Nations Mandela Rules, as well as potential responsibilities in acts that the organization categorizes as torture and other cruel treatments.
Cuban authorities have not provided detailed public information about what happened at the Canaleta prison.
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