The human rights organization Cubalex documented 19 deaths under state custody in Cuba related to medical negligence or lack of care so far in 2026, according to a report published this Monday.
Of that total, 17 deaths pertain to incarcerated individuals distributed across eight penitentiary centers in the country, while the other two occurred at a police station in Havana and at the Psychiatric Hospital of Cienfuegos.
The Provincial Prison of Las Tunas, known as El Típico, has the highest number of cases with four documented deaths, followed by the East Combined Prison and the Boniato Prison, each with three, and the Provincial Prison of Guantánamo, with two.
Among the most severe cases reported by El Típico is that of Yoandry Cutiño Oliva, 34 years old, who died in August due to extreme malnutrition: he was approximately 1.78 meters tall and weighed only 32 kilograms.
Prison authorities attributed his death to cancer, but Cubalex points out that his physical decline was a direct result of the conditions of confinement.
In the same prison, José Rivero Consuegra, 63 years old and originally from Manatí, also passed away two days after suffering a heart attack, and a third unidentified inmate died from malnutrition.
The food situation in El Típico is alarming: according to reports received by Cubalex, the main dish served to the inmates is a flour paste that contains worms and emits a strong foul smell. In response to complaints about the lack of food, the authorities tell them to "drink plenty of water."
Outside of the penitentiary centers, Cubalex also documented the death of Ferrer Ortiz Alayón, 37 years old, resident of Los Palos, Mayabeque, who was detained by the police in Havana on August 16 following a traffic incident, despite having visible head injuries.
Instead of taking him to a hospital, the officers brought him to the Zanja police unit, where he remained for over 17 hours without receiving urgent medical care.
Ferrer had cerebral edema, contusions, and three blood clots in his head, and he died as a result of those injuries.
In May, Arelis Pérez, a woman nearly 60 years old, was allegedly beaten to death inside the Psychiatric Hospital of Cienfuegos, supposedly by another patient admitted to the facility.
The report also includes the case of Roberto Álvarez Ávila, a member of the vessel coming from Florida that was attacked by Cuban border forces in February 2026 near Cayo Falcones, Villa Clara, who died in March while hospitalized under state custody.
"We were informed that Roberto passed away, but we still do not know exactly what happened," his family members stated.
A report from Prisoners Defenders from April 2026 estimated that the daily diet in Cuban prisons provides between 250 and 353 kilocalories, only about 10-14% of the minimum required for an adult, affecting approximately 90,000 prisoners.
Cubalex warned that "the conditions of food and the lack of medical care endanger the life and health of the prison population and require an immediate response from the authorities," and called for independent and impartial investigations to clarify each of the documented deaths.
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