The organization Justicia 11J documented 389 repressive events against 106 women family members of political prisoners in Cuba between July 11, 2021, and October 31, 2026.
The data was published this Wednesday in the report "Women Who Sustain the Struggle". The text indicates that out of the total reported cases, 271 affected 59 mothers, wives, sisters, and daughters of individuals imprisoned directly due to the protests of 11J, which amounts to approximately seven out of every ten recorded events.
The most commonly used tactics by the dictatorship, according to the report, were summonses and interrogations, with 102 events; threats, with 87; arbitrary detentions, with 77; and surveillance or police encirclement of homes, with 69.
The report also counted 66 reprisals in the context of prison visits: detentions upon entering or exiting the prisons, withholding of food and medicine, confiscation of correspondence, and suspension of visits as punishment.
In 22 cases, according to Justicia 11J, the authorities used the imprisoned person as a hostage: agents threatened to transfer them to remote facilities or to impose internal reprisals if their family members did not stop their complaints.
The repressive pattern was activated in response to specific actions of defense: posts on social media, attendance at mass for the detained, meetings among family members, and gatherings with diplomatic representatives.
The report also reveals an aspect of gender-based violence that exacerbates the situation. The organization reported episodes of forced nudity during interrogations and searches, as well as threats to withdraw custody of children and other forms of pressure through motherhood and childhood.
The State Security was identified by the organization as the main responsible party for the documented events.
At least six women who began accompanying a jailed relative ended up being prosecuted or imprisoned themselves. One of them received a sentence of 14 years in prison, according to Justicia 11J.
The women interviewed for the report lost their jobs or stopped working while simultaneously taking on caregiving duties, handling legal processes, providing food and medicine, and making public complaints.
Justicia 11J determined that the documented events reflect "the failure of state obligations to protect family ties, to guarantee dignified treatment for visiting individuals," and to safeguard family members against reprisals. The organization stated that the violation of the rights of those affected "demands documentation, acknowledgment, and a response."
The document is released ahead of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence, an international campaign taking place from November 25 to December 10.
Justicia 11J documented 775 political prisoners in Cuba in April 2026, of which 338 had been sentenced for the 11J.
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