Cuba reached a new record of more than 1,300 political prisoners in September 2026.

Omissions

• The figure of 1,339 comes from a single advocacy NGO (Prisoners Defenders) that maintains its own list and methodology; it is not an official statistic and other human rights organisations use narrower definitions and report lower totals (e.g., Human Rights Watch referred to 'over 700 political prisoners' remaining behind bars in April 2026).
• The record refers to the end of August 2026, not to September 2026 itself; the number was reported on 10 September 2026, so 'this month' refers to the month of publication, not the data reference period.
• The upward trend is corroborated by the same tracker's earlier figure of 1,281 in May 2026, confirming the record was repeatedly broken over 2026.

Sources

• PrimaryPrisoners Defenders"Al cierre de agosto de 2026, la lista de Prisoners Defenders asciende a 1.339 prisioneros políticos en Cuba, un nuevo récord de presos..."
• SecondarySwissinfo (EFE)"La ONG Prisoners Defenders (PD) denunció este jueves un «nuevo récord» de presos por motivos políticos en Cuba..." (1,339 political prisoners)
• SecondaryReligión en Libertad"Cuba cerró agosto de 2026 con 1.339 presos políticos, la cifra más alta en décadas, según el último informe de Prisoners Defenders."
• SecondaryDemócrata"Prisoners Defenders raises the number of political prisoners in Cuba to 1,281 in May and denounces a repressive record with deaths in custody"