Photo: Taken from social media.
The presence of former Cuban judge Amalio Alfaro Matos in the United States has sparked outrage among activists, journalists, and victims of repression in Cuba. Known for his key role in the judicial persecution of dissidents, Alfaro Matos emigrated to the U.S. in 2023. From his position as president of the Criminal Chamber of the Guantánamo Provincial Court, he upheld arbitrary sentences, ignored allegations of torture and procedural violations, and was a central figure in the judicial apparatus serving State Security. He now resides in Tampa, Florida, while the victims of his decisions demand justice and accountability. This public denouncement seeks to highlight his role in the systematic repression in Cuba and to raise awareness about the impunity enjoyed by repressors in exile.
Who is Amalio Alfaro Matos?
Amalio Alfaro Matos was, for years, a key figure in the Cuban state's repressive judicial apparatus. From his position as a judge, he legitimized fabricated political trials and handed down sentences designed to punish dissent. In 2023, he emigrated to the United States under the humanitarian parole program and currently resides in Tampa, Florida.
He began his professional career as a lawyer at the Baracoa Municipal Law Firm, but between 2019 and 2020 he served as president of the First Criminal Chamber of the Guantánamo Provincial People's Court. From that position, he established himself as one of the most ruthless judges against activists, independent journalists, and peaceful opposition members in eastern Cuba.
Alfaro Matos's actions have been criticized for actively contributing to the impunity of Interior Ministry agents involved in acts of violence. As a judge, he failed in his legal duty to report procedural violations to the public prosecutor's office, allowing serious abuses to go unpunished. Various documents cite him as part of a judicial structure controlled by the state's repressive apparatus, where his role was key in endorsing arbitrary convictions and silencing dissenting voices.
Judicial repression against independent journalism
Amalio Alfaro Matos played a central role in the judicial persecution of independent journalist Roberto de Jesús Quiñones Haces, sentenced in April 2019 to one year in prison for the alleged crimes of “resistance” and “disobedience”, after covering the trial of two evangelical pastors in Guantánamo who homeschooled their children.
As president of the First Criminal Chamber of the Guantánamo Provincial People's Court, Alfaro Matos ratified the sentence imposed by the municipal court, despite multiple procedural irregularities and reports of cruel and degrading treatment suffered by the journalist during his detention.
Instead of addressing these violations, Alfaro Matos—along with judges Yadira Giro Hernández and Julio J. Tamayo Arévalo—denied a public appeal hearing. This unjustified decision closed one of the few legal avenues the journalist had to exercise his right to a defense.
Furthermore, he ignored reports of violence perpetrated by agents of the Ministry of the Interior (MININT), failing in his legal obligation to refer the case to the public prosecutor's office. As a result, those responsible for the physical and psychological abuse of Quiñones faced no legal consequences.
During his confinement in the Guantánamo Provincial Prison, Roberto Quiñones was subjected to inhumane conditions: constant humiliations, permanent surveillance and the systematic denial of adequate medical care.
In statements to Martí News, The journalist described his imprisonment as “extremely harsh and cruel” and denounced the injustice of figures responsible for the repression living in freedom and without being held accountable, while their victims remain in exile, in prison or under harassment on the island.
Roberto Quiñones was sentenced to prison for carrying out his work as a journalist, in a trial marred by irregularities and political motivations. His case clearly illustrates how the Cuban judicial system has been used to criminalize independent journalism and repress dissent, constituting a direct violation of international standards on freedom of expression and due process.
The case of Juan Luis Bravo: a conviction fabricated for political reasons
The testimony of activist Juan Luis Bravo Rodríguez confirms the repressive nature of the actions of Amalio Alfaro Matos, one of the judges who in 2014 sentenced him to nine years in prison for the alleged crimes of “homicide” and “damages”, in a process fabricated by State Security with the aim of dismantling his leadership and silencing his work as a human rights defender.
Bravo, then a member of the Cuban Youth Movement for Democracy, was a prominent figure in the peaceful opposition in Guantánamo, known for leading protests and organizing meetings at his home—which had become a hub for opposition members, the Ladies in White, and other activists. His growing leadership made him the target of a repressive operation that sought to make an example of his activism with an unfounded accusation.
During the trial—which Bravo describes as rigged and controlled by State Security—even the mother of the deceased young man testified in his favor, stating that her son did not die because of the accused, but as a result of police negligence. However, Amalio Alfaro Matos, in his role as presiding judge, dismissed her testimony and justified the conviction with a revealing statement: “The only ones who know what happened to your son are those in State Security, and the accused (Juan Luis Bravo) is a counterrevolutionary element who must pay for that crime.”
This statement clearly reveals that the conviction was not the product of an impartial assessment of the facts, but rather of a repressive political practice. The case of Juan Luis Bravo exposes the systematic pattern of fabricating common crimes to delegitimize, imprison, and silence individuals with leadership roles within the Cuban opposition.
Impunity in exile?
From Cubalex, we denounce the impunity with which repressive actors of the Cuban regime operate on U.S. soil. Judges like Amalio Alfaro Matos were not simply carrying out orders: they played key roles in the machinery of state repression, using their judicial authority to legitimize rigged trials, punish dissent, and systematically violate the fundamental rights of Cuban citizens.
His arrival in the United States, protected by immigration benefits, represents a serious contradiction with the principles of justice and international protection. Those who facilitated political persecution in Cuba cannot be allowed to enjoy impunity in exile, while their victims continue to face imprisonment, harassment, or forced displacement for thinking differently and exercising their right to free expression.
We urge the international community—and in particular U.S. immigration authorities—to consider these backgrounds when evaluating residency applications. International protection should not be extended to those who actively contributed to human rights violations.