Martiño Ramos Soto, a former music teacher and ex-member of the Galician leftist group En Marea, spent 150 harrowing days in a Cuban prison described by law enforcement as "a pit of terror" before being extradited to Spain.
Ramos faces a 13-and-a-half-year prison sentence for the repeated sexual assault of a minor student. According to a report by El Español, the dire conditions of the Cuban jail swiftly broke his resolve, prompting him to desperately plead for extradition back to Spain.
The Cuban prison was rife with "constant humidity, food shortages, and pervasive filth," conditions starkly contrasting with those in Spanish facilities. The detainee urgently requested authorities on the island to expedite his extradition, unable to endure the squalor any longer.
Fleeing Galicia on September 15, 2025, Ramos evaded authorities who were to notify him of his impending imprisonment. Prior to disappearing, he liquidated his assets, selling his apartment on Doctor Temes Fernández Street in Ourense and scrapping his car for cash.
His escape route included Portugal, Brazil, and Peru, eventually leading him to Havana’s El Vedado neighborhood under the alias "Martín Soto," posing as a documentary photographer.
Failed Escape from Justice
Ramos chose Cuba due to the lack of an active extradition treaty with Spain, a gamble that ultimately failed when diplomatic collaboration led to his extradition. His location was publicly disclosed in November 2025, and within hours, Cuban Revolutionary Police arrested him on November 21, acting on an extradition request from the Provincial Court of Ourense. He was among the top ten fugitives sought by the Spanish National Police.
From that point, his ordeal in Cuba’s prisons began. Law enforcement sources described the facility as plagued by "constant humidity and food shortages," echoing the accounts of known political prisoners on the island. This grim reality is consistently reported by inmates and their families across Cuban prisons.
Human Rights Concerns in Cuban Prisons
International organizations like Prisoners Defenders, Cubalex, and Human Rights Watch have repeatedly documented the overcrowding, severe malnutrition, contaminated water, infestations, and forced labor in Cuban prisons, where at least 60,000 inmates produce tobacco and charcoal for export without pay.
Such conditions explain Ramos Soto’s drastic change of heart. Police sources noted his quick shift from maintaining a false identity to growing resignation, ultimately accepting extradition and begging for his transfer.
Last Wednesday, he boarded an Iberia flight from Havana in handcuffs, escorted by Spanish agents. Upon landing at Madrid-Barajas on Thursday, he was taken directly to the courts at Plaza de Castilla, where Madrid’s Court of Instruction No. 44 ordered his incarceration. He is now held in Soto del Real, Madrid, awaiting his final prison assignment.
The Provincial Court of Ourense sentenced him in July 2024 for the ongoing sexual assault of a student, spanning from ages 12 to 16 over seven school years.
The verdict also imposed a 21-and-a-half-year ban on working with minors and a compensation of 30,000 euros to the victim, who has suffered severe psychological damage, including self-harm, psychiatric hospitalizations, and suicide attempts, throughout her abuser’s flight from justice.
Now, Spanish prison authorities must decide where he will serve his sentence long-term. While the natural choice might be Pereiro de Aguiar prison in Ourense, where the sentence originated, penitentiary sources suggest this is unlikely.
Key Questions on Extradition and Prison Conditions
What led to Martiño Ramos Soto's extradition from Cuba?
His extradition resulted from diplomatic cooperation between Spain and Cuba, despite the absence of an extradition treaty, following his arrest by Cuban police after his location was publicly revealed.
What were the conditions like in the Cuban prison where Martiño Ramos was held?
The prison was characterized by constant humidity, food shortages, and structural filth, conditions that contributed to Ramos's plea for extradition due to their severity compared to Spanish standards.
How did international organizations describe Cuban prisons?
Organizations like Prisoners Defenders, Cubalex, and Human Rights Watch have reported severe overcrowding, extreme malnutrition, contaminated water, infestations, and forced labor in Cuban prisons.