The Cuban human rights organization, Cubalex, has reported 115 deaths occurring under state custody within Cuban prisons from February 2024 to June 2026. This information is detailed in a special report released in September, which serves as an update and an expansion of a prior report by the organization.
During the examined timeframe, every month recorded fatalities, averaging four deaths per month and peaking at ten in February 2026.
A predominant factor was the lack of medical care or outright denial, noted in at least 80 out of the 115 cases, which represents roughly 70% of the total. Within this scope, at least 21 individuals succumbed to severe malnutrition or starvation, while another 12 deaths were associated with tuberculosis.
The Boniato prison in Santiago de Cuba reported the highest number of deaths, totaling 23. The report highlights that this facility has specific units for inmates who are "malnourished" or "underweight," which Cubalex describes as an "institutional acknowledgment of the problem's magnitude and foreseeability."
Geographically, Santiago de Cuba accounted for 29 deaths (25.2% of the total), Havana for 21 (18.3%), and Mayabeque for 16 (13.9%). Both the Combinado del Este and Combinado de Guantánamo reported 11 deaths each, while the Quivicán prison documented eight.
The document also identifies 12 instances of lethal direct action: nine are classified as extrajudicial executions—beatings resulting in death ascribed to prison guards—and three suspicious deaths where official narratives of suicide coexist with indications of state violence.
One such incident occurred at Canaleta prison in Ciego de Ávila, where a 20-year-old inmate, who had been protesting due to hunger, was beaten and placed in solitary confinement. Subsequently, authorities reported his death as a suicide; however, inmates who witnessed the event suggested he might have been strangled by the authorities.
Among the deceased are nine political prisoners or members of the independent civil society, some linked to the July 11, 2021 protests.
The report mentions Manuel de Jesús Guillén Esplugas, affiliated with UNPACU and Cuba Decide, who was beaten by guards at Combinado del Este after recapture following an escape, with his death officially reported as a suicide. Ernesto Brieva Sempé died from severe malnutrition and kidney complications at the same prison, and Yan Carlos González González died during a hunger strike protesting his sentence.
Cubalex also notes a pattern of "externalization of death": seven prisoners were granted parole when their conditions were irreversible, dying shortly after their formal release.
The organization argues this practice "artificially reduces prison mortality statistics, blurs the traceability of state responsibility, and transfers end-of-life care burdens to families, which the State neglected throughout incarceration."
Afro-descendants make up 27% of the cases analyzed—31 out of 115—and 67.7% of them died due to structural neglect. The three women who died during this period were all Afro-descendant.
The Cuban regime fails to publish official prison mortality statistics, does not allow independent inspections, and has yet to ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture. While Cubalex was compiling its report, the regime publicly celebrated its prisons as a "just work."
The inaugural Cubalex report on deaths under custody, released in July 2024, documented 56 fatalities from January 2022 to January 2024, including prisoners, detainees at police stations, and military recruits.
The new document doubles that figure over a shorter span focused exclusively on the prison system and includes a technical proposal submitted to the UN Special Rapporteur on torture, demanding unrestricted international oversight and the prohibition of denying prison benefits for political reasons.
Understanding the Crisis in Cuban Prisons
What was the main cause of death in Cuban prisons according to Cubalex?
Cubalex identified negligence or denial of medical care as the main cause, accounting for approximately 70% of the deaths.
Which prison had the highest number of deaths?
Boniato prison in Santiago de Cuba reported the highest number of fatalities, with 23 cases.
How does Cubalex describe the practice of "externalization of death"?
Cubalex describes it as a practice that artificially reduces mortality statistics by releasing inmates just before death, thus transferring care responsibilities to families.
Did the Cuban regime acknowledge the findings of Cubalex?
No, the Cuban regime does not publish official statistics on prison mortality, disallows independent inspections, and has not ratified related international protocols.