There are almost 1,300 political prisoners in Cuba.

Omissions

• The figure of 1,260 comes from Prisoners Defenders, a Madrid-based NGO, not from an official Cuban government source or an international body. Different organizations using different methodologies produce varying counts: Human Rights Watch reported in April 2026 that 'over 700 political prisoners remain behind bars', a discrepancy likely explained by differing definitions of who qualifies as a political prisoner (e.g., whether those under house arrest or released on parole are included).
• The MEP did not cite any source for the figure during the speech.
• The number of political prisoners has been fluctuating due to prisoner releases: 553 were released in 2025 in a Vatican-US brokered deal, and in April 2026 Cuba announced the release of 2,010 prisoners, though human rights groups indicated none of those released were identified as political prisoners.

Sources

• SecondaryLe MondeThe Cuban authorities continue to arrest dissidents, bringing the number of political prisoners to 1,260, a record high.
• SecondaryNPRThe nonprofit Prisoners Defenders has said there were 1,214 political prisoners in Cuba as of February 2026.
• SecondaryLatin TimesCuba reached a new record of 1,260 political prisoners in April, according to a report released Thursday by the human rights organization Prisoners Defenders.
• SecondaryHuman Rights WatchOver 700 political prisoners remain behind bars in Cuba, according to groups like Justicia 11J and Prisoners Defenders, and hundreds more face restrictive measures. The Prisoners Defenders organization puts the total number of political prisoners at 1,260.