Police citations presented as "interviews," interruptions in connectivity, cancellation of phone lines, unauthorized access to accounts, criminal proceedings, and consequences for relatives are among the practices identified in a new report as part of 12 patterns of potential rights violations that particularly affect young people in Cuba.
The document, titled Youth, Power, and Social Networks in Cuba, was published this Monday by the organization Ciudadanía y Libertad in the context of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly.
The study is based on two consultations held in April and June 2026 with young activists, students, journalists, and content creators residing both in Cuba and in exile.
According to the organization, the testimonies were supplemented with follow-up interviews and documentation provided by the participants themselves, and were compared with official Cuban statistics, records from independent human rights observers, and statements from UN bodies and special procedures.
The report identifies 12 patterns of potential violations of the rights to freedom of association and peaceful assembly that, according to its authors, affect young people in a differentiated manner.
Among the aspects examined are the establishment of independent associations and the legal and practical conditions for their operation, as well as various forms of pressure related to the digital space and social networks.
The collected testimonies describe disruptions in connectivity, cancellation of phone lines, unauthorized access to messaging accounts, and cases of identity theft, as well as police summons during which participants claim to have been interrogated about their activities, contacts, and family or academic environments.
Some of those patterns have emerged in 2026 through public complaints made by young people on the island.
In July, for example, two members of the collective Fuera de la Caja Cuba reported having been interrogated by State Security after attending a summons initially presented as an "interview."
According to their testimony, political issues were addressed during the interrogation, and they were accused of alleged crimes of "incitement to commit a crime," "defamation," and "denigration of heroes."
Weeks later, one of those young individuals reported that an agent approached him again and warned him that it would be wise for the group to reduce their activity on social media.
There have also been documented complaints directly related to access to communications.
In April, activists reported the deactivation of several phone lines and Anna Bensi's WhatsApp account, an episode related to the forms of digital pressure described in the new report.
On the other hand, the document on Citizenship and Freedom addresses judicial proceedings initiated through various criminal offenses, as well as the conditions of detention and incarceration.
Collects cases of individuals who were minors at the time of their arrest, as well as testimonies regarding the consequences for family members and issues related to access to employment or education.
As background, the Attorney General of the Republic reported in January 2022 that it had received 117 preliminary phase files related to the protests of July 11, 2021, involving 790 individuals charged.
Out of those files, 110 had been submitted to the courts, with 710 defendants awaiting trial. Among these, there were 115 youths aged between 16 and 20 years, including 55 between the ages of 16 and 18.
Citizenship and Freedom also links the situation of civil and political rights with the strong exodus of younger generations.
The report notes that the resident population in Cuba decreased by 313,414 people during 2025 compared to the previous year and recorded a negative migration balance of 245,264 people.
The figures match the data published by the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI): Cuba ended 2025 with 9,434,593 inhabitants, while the total fertility rate was 1.29 children per woman and individuals aged 60 and older accounted for 26.7% of the population.
The exodus particularly affects younger generations: 50% of the people who left Cuba in 2024 were under 35 years old, according to data released by researchers from the Center for Demographic Studies (CEDEM).
According to the report from Ciudadanía y Libertad, as of the end of August 2026, the consulted human rights observatories documented 1,339 political prisoners in Cuba; among them, 38 had been detained while underage and 155 were women.
The study is published as Cuba's term on the United Nations Human Rights Council for the 2024-2026 period comes to an end.
Citizenship and Freedom also reminds that Cuba signed the February 28, 2008 the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, but has not yet ratified it.
The report will be presented on September 23rd at the Bildner Center for Western Hemisphere Studies at The Graduate Center, CUNY, in New York, during a panel featuring Gina Romero, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights to peaceful assembly and association; the artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara; and Carolina Barrero, president of Ciudadanía y Libertad.
Among its recommendations, the organization addresses the member states of the United Nations, the Human Rights Council and its special procedures, the countries receiving Cuban emigrants, technological platforms, and the international community of donors. It puts forward proposals related to the protection of human rights defenders and journalists, the treatment of individuals deprived of liberty for reasons related to the exercise of civil and political rights, and the monitoring of youth emigration and its relationship with the demographic and social evolution of Cuba.
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