The Cuban Observatory for Human Rights (OCDH) submitted a formal request to Brussels for the European Union to investigate possible human trafficking practices within the Cuban medical brigade deployed in the Italian region of Calabria, where approximately 200 healthcare professionals are working.
The delegation, led by Yaxys Cires, Director of Strategies at OCDH, and Cuban doctor Daily Coro, who specializes in documenting the operations of international medical missions, met with representatives from several European parliamentary groups —Popular, Socialist, Renew Europe, Conservatives and Reformists, and Patriots— as well as with officials from the European External Action Service.
"There are victims of human trafficking, which is why we have requested that they be protected," Coro stated to Martí Noticias.
The organization supported its request based on the resolution approved by the European Parliament on June 18, 2026, regarding political repression and the humanitarian situation in Cuba, which explicitly mentions medical brigades as a potential form of human trafficking.
"We appreciate the latest resolution from the European Parliament on Cuba, which mentions medical brigades as a potential form of human trafficking," noted the doctor.
International organizations such as the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and various United Nations mandates have documented in these missions deductions of between 75% and 90% from salaries, workweeks of up to 71.89 hours, restrictions on movement, surveillance of private life, and limitations on family reunification.
In the specific case of Calabria, according to data from Prisoners Defenders, the original agreement set a payment of 4,700 euros per month for each doctor, of which 3,500 euros went to the Cuban Medical Services Marketing Company (CSMC) —an entity linked to the military conglomerate GAESA— and only 1,200 euros went directly to the professional.
The mission in Calabria is facing increasing international pressure. In August 2026, the bank account of the CSMC at the Italian bank BPER was blocked, an act possibly linked to the sanctions that Washington imposed on July 23, 2026, against the CSMC, the Ministry of Public Health, and the Union of Scientists and Communicators of Cuba.
Coro also warned about the impact that these missions have within the Island: "These missions affect healthcare in Cuba because the system has lost about 30% of its personnel since 2023, while approximately 23,000 healthcare professionals are still working abroad."
The regional context also carries weight. Jamaica, Honduras, and Guatemala canceled their medical agreements with Cuba in the early months of 2026 under pressure from Washington, while the governor of Calabria, Roberto Occhiuto, has refused to follow that path, arguing the necessity of keeping the hospitals open.
In addition to the research on Calabria, the OCDH requested that European institutions establish a working group dedicated to a potential democratic transition in Cuba.
"Now it is up to the European Executive and the member countries to articulate a new policy towards the Cuban regime," Cires stated, adding that the European Parliament is preparing a new resolution to denounce the situation of political prisoners on the Island.
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