The independent human rights organization Cubalex documented seven deaths in Cuban prisons during February 2026, which it described as a "particularly critical" month due to the alarming increase in fatalities under state custody.
According to the monthly report from the organization, the causes of death included malnutrition, murders among inmates, cases reported as suicide, and inadequate medical care, in a pattern that repeats without accountability from the State.
A significant case was that of
Oña Jiménez was serving a sentence in the Cuba-Panamá prison in Güines, Mayabeque, which was designated for patients with HIV/AIDS, where her health severely deteriorated due to lack of medical attention, poor nutrition, and mistreatment, eventually suffering a cerebral ischemia that caused her paralysis.
He was discharged from Hospital Julio Trigo and released under extrapenal license when his condition had already become irreversible. He died on February 15 at his home in San Miguel del Padrón.
Cubalex reported that the late extrapenal license is "a common practice" of the Cuban state: "The authorities resorted to granting a late extrapenal license when the situation was already irreversible, in order to evade state responsibility."
The report also documented the death of Abraham Limonta Estrada, a young man who passed away during mandatory military service, whose case was linked to the harassment experienced in that context.
February was also marked by the riot at the provincial prison of Canaleta in Ciego de Ávila, which occurred in the early hours of February 19, triggered by extreme hunger, mistreatment, water shortages, and the alleged death of a young inmate after being beaten for asking for food.
The Ministry of the Interior acknowledged the "incident that disrupted public order" on February 21 without mentioning any victims, while testimonies from Prisoners Defenders and former prisoners reported at least seven deaths.
In total, the Cubalex report recorded 242 repressive events across the country during February, with the highest incidence in Havana (57), Ciego de Ávila (28), and Santiago de Cuba (22).
The lawyer from Cubalex, Raudiel Peña, emphasized that, according to international human rights standards, "the State has the obligation to protect the life and integrity of all individuals under its control" and that "many of these deaths are preventable and occur precisely due to the lack of protection and state action."
Meanwhile, journalist and researcher José Raúl Gallego presented a chart showing a progressive increase in potentially unlawful deaths from the first half of 2023 to the first half of 2025, confirming a sustained deterioration. "When the state neither protects nor investigates, impunity becomes the norm," summarized the publication from Cubalex.
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