The human rights organization Cubalex denounced on Wednesday the death of three inmates at the Provincial Prison of Las Tunas, known as El Típico, under circumstances marked by extreme malnutrition, food shortages, and a lack of medical care.
One of the most alarming cases is that of Yoandry Cutiño Oliva, 34 years old, originally from the La Victoria neighborhood in Las Tunas.
According to Cubalex, the young man was approximately 1.78 meters tall and weighed only 32 kilograms at the time of his death, a physical condition that the organization described as critical.
Despite this, the prison authorities reported that he had died of cancer, a claim that the organization openly challenged.
The second deceased identified is José Rivero Consuegra, 63 years old, originally from Manatí, who suffered a heart attack two days before his death.
A third inmate, whose identity was not confirmed by Cubalex, also lost his life due to malnutrition.
The non-governmental organization described the food conditions inside the prison as inhumane.
"As a main dish, they receive a pasta made from flour that contains worms and emits a strong foul odor," the complaint stated.
According to the information, the authorities removed a snack that consisted of bread and soft drink. In response to the inmates' complaints about the lack of food, the prison officials have said, "drink plenty of water."
The organization warned that these conditions pose an especially serious risk for those suffering from diabetes or other chronic diseases that require proper nutrition and medical monitoring.
Cubalex demanded that the deaths be clarified through independent and impartial investigations.
"The Cuban state has the responsibility to protect the life, health, and integrity of individuals under its custody, and to ensure they have sufficient and adequate food, access to potable water, dignified conditions of confinement, and timely medical care," emphasized the organization, which also called for an immediate response from the authorities regarding the serious risks faced by the inmates of El Típico.
In that prison, reports in 2024 highlighted the use of torture in the infirmary, and multiple documents from that period recorded malnutrition, insufficient rations, and the lack of minimum conditions for confinement.
The deaths recorded this month at El Típico are part of a national pattern that Cubalex has been documenting for years. The organization recorded at least 39 deaths under custody in Cuba during the first half of 2026, four of which involved political prisoners, and warned that this figure is likely an underreporting.
Additionally, a report on forced malnutrition in prisons, published in April by Prisoners Defenders, revealed that the daily diet in Cuban prisons provides between 250 and 353 kilocalories, which is only 10-14% of the minimum requirement for a sedentary adult, potentially causing irreversible harm to around 90,000 inmates.
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