Cubalex received information about the death of inmate Ramón Alayo Anglada, known as “Palmita”, a native of Palma Soriano and held in detachment No. 11 of the Boniato prison, in the province of Santiago de Cuba.
According to reports received by our organization, Ramón had a visible mass on the right side of his neck and had been requesting medical attention for several weeks without receiving a response from prison authorities. He was finally transferred on March 17 to the Ambrosio Grillo Hospital in the town of El Cobre, where he died on Wednesday, March 19. To date, the official cause of death has not been released.
Deaths in state custody cannot be normalized
So far in 2025, Cubalex has documented at least nine deaths in Boniato prison. Overcrowding, malnutrition, lack of medical care, and unsanitary conditions in Cuban prisons continue to pose a serious threat to the lives and health of incarcerated individuals.
People deprived of their liberty are under the direct custody of the State, which means that prison authorities are responsible for guaranteeing their life, integrity and access to basic services such as health and food.
When an inmate dies in prison due to lack of medical attention, it is not an accident, but a serious violation of human rights and an institutional failure that must be investigated and punished.
These deaths are not isolated incidents: they are part of a pattern of abandonment, neglect, and systematic punishment of detainees, especially those who report abuses or are considered politically inconvenient.
Instead of protecting the people in its custody, the Cuban State fails to fulfill its legal and international duty, exposing them to inhumane conditions that threaten their dignity and their lives.
We demand that the Cuban State assume its responsibility for every death in custody, guarantee dignified conditions in all prisons, and be held accountable for the violations committed.