Just a few days into September, Cuba reached 50 femicides in 2026, surpassing the total number recorded for the entire previous year.
The Gender Observatory of Alas Tensas (OGAT) confirmed two new crimes that raise the annual count to this figure, one more than the 49 documented cases in 2025.
The two most recent victims are Yadelaine Roque Torres, 25 years old, stabbed on September 4 by her ex-partner in the rural community 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, the only reported case is that of Yanelkys.
Since 2019, when the observatory began documenting these crimes, it has recorded 366 femicides in Cuba.
The list shows that 2023 was the deadliest year, with 90 cases, followed by 56 in 2024 and 48 in 2025. With 50 cases reported before the first half of September ends, 2026 is on track to become the second most severe year since Alas Tensas began its documentation efforts.
The crime profile is consistent: 83.3% are perpetrated by the current or former partner of the victim, 64.6% are committed with a sharp instrument, and 62.5% occur in the home or the immediate vicinity of the victim.
The only official data available on the phenomenon is the one published by the Cuba Gender Equality Observatory (OCIG/ONEI) in August, which indicated that in 2025, 49 cases of women victims of gender-based crime were tried.
According to that report, Havana had 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 independent crime in its Penal Code, which has been in effect since December 2022, where it is only outlined as an aggravating factor for homicide.
The National Assembly rejected an amendment to incorporate it as an independent criminal offense, and the country also lacks a comprehensive law against gender-based violence and specialized shelters for women at risk.
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