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The case of Jorge Rodríguez Mirabar, a 26-year-old Cuban inmate, raises alarms once again about the situation inside the island's prisons. The young man has been on a hunger strike for more than a week at the Guamajal prison in Santa Clara after reporting a brutal beating by prison officials.
According to reports circulated by activists and family members, Rodríguez Mirabar began the protest on April 21 after being assaulted by both other inmates and prison guards. Independent journalist Isabel Soto Mayedo noted on X that the young man was attacked by two inmates and, when trying to defend himself, ended up being beaten by guards, handcuffed, and pushed down the stairs, allegedly in the presence of a high-ranking official at the prison.
The political activist and 11J protester Carlos Michael Morales Rodríguez also joined the denunciation on Facebook, pointing out that instead of investigating what happened, the authorities chose to accuse him of "Prison Disorder," a decision that his supporters deem unjust and that has led the young man to take the drastic step of refusing to eat.
His father tried to file a complaint with the Military Prosecutor's Office in Santa Clara, but—according to the testimony—he received no response. He also approached the provincial prison system, where instead of receiving support, he was informed that the process would be against his son.
The situation is not isolated. Organizations such as Cubalex have recently warned about the deterioration of conditions in Cuban prisons, including overcrowding, poor nutrition, and the systematic denial of medical care. In a report cited by Martí Noticias, it is noted that several inmates—both common and political prisoners—are on hunger strike in various parts of the country.
Among them are Lisandro Betancourt, protesting since April 14; Liosnel López Arocha and Ángel Jesús Véliz Marcano, confined in punishment cells; Arael Rodríguez Escalante, in Las Mangas prison in Bayamo; and Miguel Ángel López Herrera, who continues his protest from his home. All these cases reflect a pattern of complaints indicating abuses and a lack of guarantees within the Cuban penitentiary system.
In this context, Rodríguez Mirabar's situation takes on an even more alarming tone. His family directly holds the penitentiary authorities in Villa Clara and State Security accountable for any harm he may suffer, while the young man continues to risk his life in a hunger strike that, thus far, appears to be his only way of seeking justice.
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