There are nearly 1,400 political prisoners in Cuba.

Omissions

• The figure comes from a single non-governmental monitoring organisation (Prisoners Defenders); Cuba publishes no official count of political prisoners and there is no state statistic to corroborate it.
• Other human-rights actors use narrower definitions and report lower numbers: Human Rights Watch, citing groups such as Justicia 11J, reported 'over 700 political prisoners remain behind bars' in Cuba in April 2026, well below the 1,339 figure.
• The number is a contested estimate that depends heavily on the counting methodology of the compiling NGO, so the claim presents one organisation's maximum/record figure as if it were an established fact.
• Prisoners Defenders reported 1,339 'at the close of August 2026' (published 10 September 2026), i.e. it is the most recent count available to the speaker at the session date, but it is an activist tally rather than an official statistic.

Sources

• PrimaryPrisoners DefendersAl cierre de agosto de 2026, la lista de Prisoners Defenders asciende a 1.339 prisioneros políticos en Cuba, un nuevo récord de presos políticos, tras 19 incorporaciones y 7 bajas.
• SecondaryDerecha DiarioCuba reached a record of 1339 political prisoners under the Castro communist regime. Between September 2025 and August 2026, 281 people were added to the list of political prisoners, the highest number in the last three years.
• SecondaryHuman Rights WatchOver 700 political prisoners remain behind bars in Cuba, according to groups like Justicia 11J and Prisoners Defenders, and hundreds more...