Cuba reached a new record of 1,339 political prisoners, according to the latest monthly report from Prisoners Defenders. The figure, corresponding to the end of August, is the highest recorded in decades and exposes the level of repression that the island is experiencing under the communist regime. Only in the last month, 19 new cases were added and seven were removed, resulting in a net increase of 12 people compared to July.
The deterioration of the situation is also reflected in the annual total. Between September 2025 and August 2026, 281 people were added to the list of political prisoners, the highest number in the last three years. Javier Larrondo, president of Prisoners Defenders, warned that in Cuba even complaints about basic services can end in prison: “Demanding water or electricity can lead to jail.”
Cuba adds 1,339 political prisoners
According to the survey by Prisoners Defenders, Cuba has accumulated 2,167 political prisoners since July 2021, of which 2,020 were imprisoned during that period.
The August figure also includes 155 women imprisoned for political reasons, an absolute record in recent decades. There are also 38 people who were detained while still minors. Of these, 14 remain deprived of their liberty.
The report states that political persecution is not limited to organized opponents. It also affects citizens who protest against living conditions, power outages, lack of water, or their families' economic conditions.
Demanding water and electricity can end in prison
One of the documented cases is that of Doraikis Delgado González, detained on July 7 after live-streaming a neighborhood protest in Alamar, Havana.
The neighbors were demanding the restoration of electricity after more than a month of blackouts. Delgado González was arrested without an arrest warrant and remains in provisional detention at the Women's Prison of the West, in El Guatao.
The woman suffers from hemophilia and needs specialized medical attention. However, the authorities refused to modify her precautionary measure. Additionally, she is the mother of two children aged seven and eight, who are under the care of neighbors while their father works to financially support the family.
Another case is that of Sady Reynaldo Companioni, mother of a six-year-old girl. She was detained on August 28 after complaining for more than two weeks about the lack of water in her home.
The situation had reached the point where her family had to collect rainwater for drinking. Four agents entered her home and arrested her in front of her daughter, who cried as they took her mother away.
Companioni was released on September 2, but according to Prisoners Defenders, she must report daily to a police station.
The repression also affects families
The report warns that the Cuban repressive system does not only affect those who are detained. Families also suffer threats, surveillance, economic sanctions, forced separation, and simultaneous imprisonments.
“The punishment targets the children and the entire family,” said Larrondo. The leader of Prisoners Defenders stated that there are mothers detained simply for demanding basic conditions to care for their children.
The situation creates an intimidating effect that reaches entire communities. The regime's message is clear: even a protest related to essential services can end in a criminal case.
A 16-year-old remains incarcerated
Among the most serious cases is that of Christian de Jesús Crespo Álvarez, a prisoner of conscience who is only 16 years old.
The teenager was detained during the protests in March in Morón against the blackouts and remains in provisional detention at the Canaleta prison in Ciego de Ávila.
In June, it was confirmed that he had contracted hepatitis while in jail. However, according to the complaint collected by Prisoners Defenders, the authorities did not transfer him to a hospital for specialized care.
