A few days after September began, Cuba reached 50 femicides so far in 2026, a figure that exceeds the total recorded for the entire previous year.
The Gender Observatory of Alas Tensas (OGAT) confirmed two new crimes that raise the annual total to this figure, one case more than the 49 documented in 2025.
The two most recent victims are Yadelaine Roque Torres, 25 years old, stabbed by her ex-partner on September 4, in the rural town of Sabana, La Caoba, near El Cobre, Santiago de Cuba; and Berta Veitía López, 64 years old, murdered on August 26 by an acquaintance in Nuevitas, Camagüey.
The figures for 2026 are as follows: June and July were the worst months, with nine murders each; followed by May (eight); April (seven); January and March (six each); August (three) and February (one). As of September, only the murder of Yanelkys has been reported.
Since 2019, when the observatory started documenting these crimes, it has recorded 366 femicides in Cuba.
The statistics show that 2023 was the deadliest year, with 90 cases, followed by 56 in 2024 and 49 in 2025. With 50 cases before the end of the first half of September, 2026 is set to become the second most severe year since the Alas Tensas observatory began its documentation work.
The profile of femicides is consistent: 83.3% are perpetrated by the partner or ex-partner of the victim; 64.6% are committed with a knife, and 62.5% occur in the home or immediate surroundings of the victim.
The only official data available on these crimes is the one published by the Observatory of Cuba on Gender Equality (OCIG/ONEI) in August, which indicated that in 2025, 49 cases of women victims of gender-based crime were prosecuted.
According to that report, Havana recorded the highest number of cases, with 12, followed by Mayabeque, Camagüey, and Holguín, each with six, and Santiago de Cuba with five.
Despite the magnitude of the problem, Cuba does not classify femicide as an autonomous crime in its Penal Code, which has been in effect since December 2022, where it is only defined as an aggravating factor in homicide. The National Assembly rejected an amendment to include it as an independent criminal offense. Furthermore, the country lacks a comprehensive law against gender-based violence and specialized shelters for women at risk.
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