Cuban "Spiderman" Remains Jailed Without Charges or Trial Date After Six Months

Javier Ernesto Martín Gutiérrez, a mixed martial arts fighter often referred to as "Spiderman," has now spent half a year in the high-security Combinado del Este prison. Despite this extended detention, the prosecutor's office has neither filed formal charges nor set a trial date, as reported by his partner to Martí Noticias.

Lisandra Cuza, the 34-year-old athlete's partner, expressed the frustrating situation: "He has been detained for six months and we're still stuck in the same place. We have received no response regarding his case. There have been no formal charges and no trial date has been set."

Martín Gutiérrez was apprehended on April 24 by plainclothes officers as he was returning from training in the Marianao district of Havana.

Unjust Detention Sparks International Attention

The arrest followed nine consecutive days of live broadcasts from his balcony, where the Cuban Mixed Martial Arts League champion criticized the prolonged power outages, shortages of food and medicine, and the economic crisis, declaring that "the communist system is dead."

Initially taken to Villa Marista—the headquarters of State Security—he was later moved to Combinado del Este, where he remains held.

Legal Complications and Human Rights Concerns

The legal situation has become increasingly complex. Originally charged with public disorder, Martín Gutiérrez now faces accusations of contempt and propaganda against the constitutional order, added in mid-September.

Particularly concerning is that the contempt charge had initially been dropped due to insufficient evidence. "It was proven that he hadn't committed any contempt, and now they've reinstated the charge," Cuza stated.

The defense only learned of these new charges via a court document denying a request for judicial review. The attorney has been unable to access the case file; when he visited Villa Marista, he was told it hadn't yet been sent and was still at the court.

The legal advisory group Cubalex reviewed the case, concluding that the court upheld provisional detention without hearing from the accused, without identifying specific procedural risks, and with justification spanning merely one paragraph, violating Cuba's Criminal Procedure Law.

Dire Conditions and Personal Struggles

Adding to the family's worries are the harsh conditions of confinement. Cuza reported that inmates at Combinado del Este have endured days without potable water, food shortages, and have been unable to contact their families by phone for over a week due to service disruptions.

Since his imprisonment began, Martín Gutiérrez has lost around 25 pounds due to poor nutrition. In an August letter from prison, he reaffirmed his determination: "They will not break me."

The family has submitted four requests to change his legal status so he can await trial outside of jail; all have been denied.

In August, the U.S. State Department, through the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, labeled him as "unjustly detained," recalling that his arrest was for peacefully expressing himself from his home.

This case is part of a broader trend of escalating repression: the organization Prisoners Defenders documented a historic high of 1,372 political prisoners in Cuba as of October 1, 2026, including 40 minors and 158 women.

In July, Martín Gutiérrez warned he would go on a hunger strike if no trial date was set within six months of his detention. That deadline has passed, and the regime's silence remains its only response.