Cuban political prisoner faces reprisals, malnutrition, and threats in Kilo 8 prison

Cubalex alerts that political prisoner Danisbel Labrada Morales is suffering reprisals, severe malnutrition, and physical threats in Kilo 8 prison in Camagüey.



Danisbel Labrada Morales before and after her imprisonmentPhoto © Facebook / Center for Documentation of Cuban Prisons - OCDH

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The non-governmental organization Cubalex issued an urgent alert on Friday, denouncing that the political prisoner Danisbel Labrada Morales is facing reprisals, physical threats, and lack of medical attention in the Kilo 8 maximum-security prison in Camagüey.

According to the NGO, Labrada Morales is 1.90 meters tall and weighs only 140 pounds (63.5 kg), which raises suspicion that he suffers from malnutrition or, at the very least, a poor nutritional status.

His family sent him a suitcase with food to alleviate that situation, but the Chief of Internal Order of the prison, identified by the NGO as Daniel Primelles Cala, refuses to deliver it as retaliation for considering Labrada Morales one of the leaders of the protest that occurred at the Canaleta prison in Ciego de Ávila in February 2026.

That riot, which involved political and common prisoners protesting against hunger, mistreatment, lack of water, and unsanitary conditions, was suppressed with rubber bullets and pepper spray.

Following the events, Labrada Morales was transferred in March to Kilo 8 and placed in isolation. The Cuban Observatory of Human Rights (OCDH) also reported that he is facing a new charge of contempt related to that protest.

Since December 2025, according to a report from Cubanet, Labrada Morales has not been receiving treatment for high blood pressure, which causes him frequent dizziness, drowsiness, and fatigue.

He was recently transferred to the prison medical facility due to high blood pressure, although his requests for blood tests and specialized medical evaluation have not been addressed.

His physical integrity is also in direct danger. The prison authorities located in Detachment 7, where he is incarcerated, a common inmate who previously attacked the political prisoner Carlos Alain Abrahantes Valdés.

That inmate threatened Labrada Morales with assault if he continues to report the living conditions and human rights violations within the prison.

The case of Abrahantes Valdés illustrates the seriousness of the pattern. The political prisoner was brutally beaten in Kilo 8 on May 19, lost consciousness, and suffered a nasal septum fracture.

According to his mother, the doctor who treated him noted that "his injuries were very serious, posing a risk to his life, and that it was necessary to take him to the hospital immediately."

It was Labrada Morales himself who reported that, upon arriving at Detachment 7, Abrahantes' attacker was shouting Castroist slogans, which reinforces suspicions that the assaults are encouraged by the authorities of the prison.

Kilo 8 has a documented history of systematic violence. In January 2025, inmate Ulises Rodríguez Machado, 73 years old, died there following a beating attributed to a prison officer.

In April 2026, the political prisoner Daril Ochoa Manresa reported that an officer stated, "all political prisoners must be killed, without exception," according to a report by Prisoners Defenders (PD).

The pattern of using common inmates to assault dissidents has also been documented in other prisons: in June 2025, José Daniel Ferrer reported beatings in the Mar Verde prison with common inmates specifically transferred to attack him; in April 2026, Félix Navarro Rodríguez was brutally beaten in the Agüica prison by an officer.

While PD estimates the number of political prisoners at more than 1,260, Cubalex suggests that the actual number in Cuba currently ranges between 760 and 775, according to various sources and counting dates.

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CiberCuba Editorial Team

A team of journalists committed to reporting on Cuban current affairs and topics of global interest. At CiberCuba, we work to deliver truthful news and critical analysis.