Cuba escalates crackdown on political prisoners ahead of 11J anniversary

Human‑rights groups report that Cuba has intensified its repression of political prisoners as the fifth anniversary of the July 11, 2021 protests approaches. Prisoners Defenders recorded 1,306 political detainees, including a record 40 minors, and documented 32 new arrests in June targeting youth, journalists, YouTubers, a rapper and other activists. Notable cases include YouTuber Eddy Jones, rapper MC K‑LIBRE and a police operation in Santiago de Cuba that added ten young prisoners, six of them underage.

Legal adviser group Cubalex highlighted a new tactic: the forced relocation of at least 55 political prisoners to prisons far from their families, many over 100 km away and 15 % beyond 500 km. The displacement hampers family visits and the delivery of food and medicine, further punishing detainees and their relatives. The reports also describe dire prison conditions—insufficient food, water shortages, dilapidated facilities and health risks—exacerbated by Cuba’s broader transport and electricity crises.