Cuban political prisoners suffer worsening conditions in Matanzas

Political prisoners Félix Navarro and his daughter Saily Navarro, detained in the Agüica and La Bellotex prisons of Matanzas province, described severe water shortages, receiving only about ten litres per inmate per day, and being given spoiled food, including rotten chicken. They also reported frequent electricity outages, infestations of bedbugs, lack of plumbing and the suspension of telephone communications.

The complaints were echoed by other detainees. In Holguín, political prisoner Roilán Álvarez said he was beaten after refusing to wear a prison uniform, and in Quivicán prisoner Juan Enrique Pérez Sánchez reported threats from prison officials, lack of water and sleeping on a plank due to missing mattresses. Human‑rights groups Cubalex and Cuba Primero have highlighted these conditions, describing them as a deteriorating humanitarian crisis in Cuba’s penal system.