Cuba adds more than 175 political prisoners in early 2026

Prisoners Defenders said Cuba added more than 175 political prisoners in the first half of 2026, with 114 of those cases tied directly to protest, association or free expression. The latest count points to a crackdown that is widening beyond street demonstrations and into online speech, digital monitoring and other forms of day-to-day dissent.

An EFE dispatch republished by Infobae broke down those 114 cases further: 79 were linked to protests or peaceful demonstrations, 22 involved digital surveillance and repression on social media, and 13 fell under other forms of political repression. Nine of the detainees were adolescents between 15 and 17 years old, including four age 15, two age 16 and three age 17. That mix is what makes the surge stand out, because it is not just hitting organizers and visible activists. It is sweeping in teenagers, social media users and people caught up in protest-related cases.

The numbers also show a steep climb through the spring. Prisoners Defenders said Cuba ended 2025 with 1,197 political prisoners, rose to 1,207 in early February, reached 1,260 in April and 1,281 at the end of May. The group expects the total to move past 1,300 once June closes. It also said Cuba had accumulated 2,076 political prisoners in its jails from July 1, 2021 through the end of May 2026, with 1,929 entering prison during that span.

That longer arc matters because Prisoners Defenders has been arguing that the state response has become preventive, not just reactive. In January, the group published a digital-surveillance study based on 200 valid testimonies gathered between November 28, 2025 and January 5, 2026, and said the system it documented leaned on the state telecom monopoly ETECSA. In March, four UN special rapporteurs, Gina Romero, Alexandra Xanthaki, Irene Khan and Mary Lawlor, accused Cuba of a systematic pattern of criminalizing dissent, coercion, arbitrary detention and forced exile.

The first-half 2026 surge lands against a record that has not broken cleanly since the July 11, 2021 protests. Human Rights Watch said in July 2025 that detainees from those demonstrations had faced beatings, solitary confinement and lack of medical care, and that hundreds were still in prison after a January 2025 release deal. In April 2026, Human Rights Watch said more than 700 political prisoners still remained behind bars, with hundreds more under house arrest or other restrictions, while Amnesty International said Cuban authorities had not verified the release of people detained for political reasons. The new tally shows the same pressure point still holding: Cuba is adding prisoners faster than it is letting them go.