Cubalex launched an unprecedented tool this Saturday: an interactive and public list of political prisoners in Cuba, accessible from its website and connected in real time to the organization's database.
At the time of its publication, the record documents 679 individuals imprisoned for political reasons on the island.
The database, originally prepared at the request of international human rights mechanisms, is the result of the continuous monitoring that the organization has been conducting since its inception.
Each profile includes only the essential information—name, age, gender, province, detention center, and verification status—to protect the integrity of the prisoners, their families, and the sources providing information.
Of the 679 documented records, 580 have identified penitentiary locations, while 99 remain in unidentified prisons. The average age of the inmates is 40 years, based on 349 cases with known ages.
The organization clearly warns that the list is not a complete census. "It is not a comprehensive census. Here we publish what we have been able to learn, document, and verify. The actual number may be higher," stated Cubalex in the presentation video of the tool.
The registry includes both individuals convicted of crimes against state security and those facing seemingly common charges.
According to the organization itself, "we include those facing common charges such as contempt or public disorder when the context shows that the real motive is to punish a protest, criticism, independent journalism, or the defense of human rights."
Cubalex considers anyone who remains in state custody for more than seven consecutive days to be deprived of liberty. Furthermore, it warns that a release from custody does not necessarily equate to full freedom: "Many of these individuals continue to be subjected to state control, open cases, or the threat of re-incarceration."
Since the figures are updated in real-time with each new verified arrest, release, or transfer, the organization recommends always indicating the date of consultation when citing the data.
"Just because a case hasn't been recently verified doesn't mean the person is free. It means that the state has hindered access to the relevant information," clarifies the methodology of the list.
The launch occurs in a context of documented repression on the rise in Cuba: during the first half of 2026, Cubalex recorded 1,894 events of human rights violations —more than ten per day— compared to 1,279 in the second half of 2025.
Violations against individuals deprived of liberty were the most frequent category, with 762 reports.
Cuban prisons concentrated a significant part of the repression also in recent months: Cubalex documented 115 deaths in prisons between February 2024 and June 2026, attributing 70% to negligence or denial of medical care.
Only in September 2026, 12 deaths linked to state custody were recorded, bringing the total of documented prison fatalities this year to 49.
Other organizations report different figures regarding the scale of political imprisonment: Justicia 11J counted 775 political prisoners in April 2026, while Prisoners Defenders recorded over 1,300 cases at the end of June.
The differences are due to different methodologies, which highlights the importance of Cubalex making its own verification criteria explicit.
"Documenting is also a way to protect," concludes the organization, which invites family members, activists, and journalists to collaborate in updating the registry through a secure form on their website.
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