The human rights organization Cubalex issued urgent alerts regarding the deteriorating health of Roberto Pérez Fonseca and Carlos Alberto McDonald Ennis, two Cuban political prisoners who are facing critical situations without access to adequate medical care.
The first is being held at the Quivicán prison in Mayabeque, where he recently exhibited a high fever, respiratory difficulties, and significant physical weakness.
His brother, the activist Albert Fonse, informed Cubalex that Roberto registered a slight improvement —the fever subsided—, but respiratory difficulties persist, worsened by his previous lung conditions.
The family reports that Roberto suffers from acute esophagitis, erythematous and congestive duodenitis, bulb duodenal ulcers, asthma, and chronic pulmonary issues, conditions that have worsened during his incarceration and after being subjected multiple times to punishment cells.
The conditions of the prison further worsen their situation. According to Cubalex, "after 4:00 PM, there are no doctors available in the prison infirmary," and it is an inmate with medical training who guides and assists the sick.
In addition, several inmates in Quivicán are showing fever, headaches, and diarrhea, symptoms that suggest a possible outbreak of dengue, although no confirmed diagnosis has been made so far.
The Quivicán prison has a documented history of inhumane conditions. In December 2024, inmate Yosvany Sánchez died there due to lack of medical attention, and in July of this year, a mother reported that the prison lacks water, putting inmates with chronic illnesses at risk.
Roberto Pérez Fonseca was sentenced to 10 years in prison by the Municipal Court of San José de las Lajas after participating in the protests on July 11, 2021, accused of assault, contempt, incitement to commit a crime, and public disorder. Amnesty International declared him a prisoner of conscience in October 2024.
The second case is that of Carlos Alberto McDonald Ennis, linked to the opposition movement Cuba Primero, released in June 2026 on a bail of 50,000 Cuban pesos after more than two years in provisional detention at the provincial prison of Las Tunas, known as El Típico, without receiving cancer treatment.
Upon release, he weighed 48 kilograms and exhibited severe malnutrition. During his confinement, he developed a maxillary tumor that extended into the internal structures of the head, in addition to suffering from diabetes, ischemic cardiomyopathy, and a pulmonary condition.
This Monday, he was supposed to begin his first sessions of radiation therapy, but it was not possible. According to the complaint filed by Cubalex, the doctors need the images from the somaton —a tomography— to accurately locate the tumor, but the authorities refuse to provide them, and the equipment to repeat the study is broken.
The organization described this refusal as "a form of punishment that extends beyond imprisonment" and demanded "the immediate release of the somatón images and the cessation of any obstacles that delay their processing."
The trial against McDonald Ennis and seven other activists from Cuba Primero took place inside the Las Tunas prison, preventing access for family members and observers. The prosecution had requested seven years of imprisonment for him.
Both cases occur when Cuba reached a historical record of 1,327 political prisoners at the end of July 2026, according to Prisoners Defenders, reflecting the scale of repression exercised by the regime against its own population.
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