Cuba has once again ranked last in Latin America in terms of political and civil liberties, according to the report "Freedom in the World 2026" from Freedom House, which also documents the twentieth consecutive year of decline in global freedom.
The Island scored only 9 points out of 100 on the report scale—one point less than in the previous edition—earning zero points in political rights and only nine in civil liberties. This rating keeps it in the category of “Not Free” and makes it the country with the least freedom in the entire region, alongside Nicaragua and Venezuela as the most extreme cases on the continent.
The report, titled "The Growing Shadow of Autocracy," indicates that in 2025 a total of 54 countries experienced a deterioration in their political rights and civil liberties, while only 35 recorded improvements. The number of nations classified as "Not Free" has increased from 45 in 2005 to 59 today, and only 21% of the global population currently lives in countries considered free, compared to 46% two decades ago.
In the Cuban case, repression is not merely a statistic. Prisoners Defenders by the end of August, the highest number recorded by that organization in its history. The trend has been consistent: 1,214 prisoners in February, 1,250 in March, 1,281 in May, and the current record in August.
In that context, Freedom House celebrated in September the release of artist and activist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, co-founder of the San Isidro Movement, who served five years in prison after being arrested on July 11, 2021, during the historic protests of 11J.
However, the organization warned that their departure was not an act of clemency: the regime conditioned their freedom on forced exile, and Otero Alcántara arrived in Miami on July 18 without knowing when, or if, he would be able to return to his country.
“The five years that Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara spent in prison are a testament to the cruel and illegal nature of the Cuban regime, which will do whatever it takes to silence and punish dissent,” said Brian Tronic, director of the Fred Hiatt Program at Freedom House. “Even his release does not put an end to the regime's persecution, because it was conditioned on exile.”
Jamie Fly, executive director of Freedom House, was more straightforward about the overall situation: «We will continue to advocate for the more than 1,300 political prisoners who remain detained in Cuba for speaking out against decades of repression and corruption».
The deterioration of the situation in Cuba is not an isolated phenomenon in the region. The report places Nicaragua and Venezuela among the cases with the most significant decline in freedoms worldwide over the past 20 years, with losses of 49 and 41 points, respectively, since 2005. Between 2020 and 2025, both countries also fell to the lowest possible score in personal freedom of expression, alongside Belarus, Iran, Russia, and Tajikistan.
The report also warns of a structural change that could worsen the situation: in 2025, the U.S. administration canceled approximately 80.5 billion dollars in foreign aid managed by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the State Department, impacting thousands of organizations in at least 129 countries.
European countries, for their part, also significantly reduced their funding for civil society and democracy abroad.
In terms of digital freedom, Cuba fared no better: according to the "Freedom on the Net 2025" index from the same organization, the Island scored 20 out of 100 in internet freedom, positioning it as the fourth country with the least free internet in the world.
"The desire for freedom is inexhaustible," concludes the Freedom House report. "Authoritarian regimes continue to advance around the world, and only the combined effort of human rights defenders, civil society organizations, and democratic governments can hasten the day when all people can live in freedom."
Related videos:
Filed under: