There are over 1,200 political prisoners held in horrific conditions in Cuban prisons.
Justice & Anti-CorruptionCuba
- Omissions
- The MEP did not cite any source for the figure, making independent verification dependent on human rights NGO data rather than official government statistics, which Cuba does not publish on this matter.
- The distinction between 'political prisoners' and 'prisoners of conscience' is blurred in the claim; Prisoners Defenders' April 2026 record of 1,260 explicitly includes both categories, while Human Rights Watch reports a narrower figure of over 700 political prisoners using a stricter definition.
- The claim characterizes conditions as 'horrific' without specifying particular abuses; this is a qualitative assessment that, while broadly consistent with human rights documentation, cannot be verified as a standalone factual element.
- In early 2026, Cuba announced a series of prisoner releases (over 2,000 announced, with 553 released in 2025 under a Vatican/US-brokered deal), meaning the total number has been fluctuating and the 'record' figure from Prisoners Defenders may reflect pre-release or cumulative counting.
- Sources
- SecondaryThe New York TimesPrisoners Defenders, a human rights group, said there were more than 1,200 political prisoners on the island as of February of this year.
- SecondaryCuba Center for the Study of Human Rights (CubaCenter.org)More than 1,200 political prisoners and prisoners of conscience—men and women jailed solely for exercising their rights to free expression, association, and peaceful assembly—are still being held in Cuban jails, according to data from the independent monitoring group 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 are held on politically motivated charges or as prisoners of conscience.
- SecondaryAmnesty InternationalAmnesty International warns that recent prisoner releases in Cuba continue to be marked by discretion and a lack of transparency, and that those detained for political reasons remain imprisoned in harsh conditions.