In Cuba, the situation in prisons is alarming. We have documented serious human rights violations within these facilities. The very conditions of the prisons are a form of torture and reflect inhumane situations.
The lack of medicine, food, and other essential goods that we see every day in Cuba is even worse inside the prisons. The scarcity of food and basic necessities, coupled with a lack of personnel trained in human rights (guards, doctors, prosecutors, and judges), inadequate judicial oversight, and the absence of an independent mechanism for conducting regular visits, exacerbates the situation. All of this facilitates corruption and abuse of power within the penitentiary system.
fundamental rights violated as set out in the Mandela Rules.
The United Nations establishes that all persons deprived of their liberty must be treated with dignity and respect. This prohibits torture and ill-treatment and obliges states to protect prisoners. However, the Cuban state constantly violates this rule. Many prisoners and their families compare the prisons to Nazi concentration camps.
Accommodation. Rule 12
Prisons in Cuba are overcrowded. In places like Las Mangas, in Granma province, up to 600 inmates share a single building. Women also suffer from overcrowding; in Mar Verde, Santiago de Cuba, 35 women share three bathrooms. Rule 12 stipulates that each inmate must have their own cell, or in temporary cases, share with a maximum of one other inmate, a rule that is not followed in Cuba.
Hygiene Conditions. Rule 13
Hygienic conditions in Cuban prisons are deplorable. The cells are filthy, damp, infested with bedbugs and rodents, and lack light and ventilation. Inmates do not receive basic hygiene products such as soap or toothpaste, leading to skin diseases like scabies and fungal infections.
Nutrition. Rule 22
Rule 22 states that all prisoners must receive nutritious and well-prepared food. In Cuba, complaints about spoiled food and insufficient rations are common. Prisoners suffer from malnutrition and are often punished if they complain about the food.
Physical Exercise and Sport. Rule 23
This rule guarantees that inmates must have at least one hour of outdoor exercise daily. In Cuba, this is not the case. Inmates do not have regular access to exercise facilities or equipment, which negatively impacts their physical and mental health.
As we have seen, the inhumane conditions in Cuban prisons, characterized by poor nutrition, overcrowding, lack of medicine, and cruel treatment, degrade and violate basic human rights. These practices also violate the Mandela Rules, as they fail to meet the minimum standards for the treatment of prisoners adopted by the United Nations.
The violation of these rules has a devastating impact on the physical and mental health of inmates, creating an environment of stress, fear, and despair. Systematic human rights violations in Cuban prisons, by ignoring the Mandela Rules, profoundly affect the dignity and well-being of those deprived of their liberty, exacerbating their suffering and dehumanization.