Photo: Archive.
Cubalex received information sent by an anonymous source describing a critical scenario at the Ho Chi Minh Correctional Work Camp, located in Jaruco, Mayabeque province, where living conditions, security and prison management are deeply deteriorated.
The complaint alleges that the food is insufficient, poorly prepared, and lacks basic ingredients such as salt and oil. However, when authorities from the Directorate of Penitentiary Establishments of the Ministry of the Interior (MININT) arrive, they prepare it properly to create the appearance of normalcy and deny the inmates' complaints.
Drug trafficking with total impunity
In line with a complaint According to a recent report from Cubalex, information points to the existence of a drug distribution network known as “the chemical,” operating unchecked within the prison.
The inmates identified as active members of this network are:
- Yaidel Álvarez (alias “el Naroco”)
- Yoel Alexander Borrero (alias “el Bemba”)
- Osmany Palomino (alias “the Fixty”)
- Livan Carbonell (alias “el Ocanco”)
- Germán López Torres, identified as one of the main traffickers and users, with extensive privileges and the ability to influence officials
- Eugenio Atie, who allegedly had access to a cell phone to coordinate drug orders
Abusive punishments and restrictions
The complaint warns that inmates are denied access to sunlight, a violation of their basic rights that directly impacts their physical and emotional health. Regular exposure to natural light is a minimum component of humane treatment in any prison system, and prolonged deprivation can lead to muscle weakness, immune system impairment, deteriorating mental health, depression, and anxiety.
Restricting access to sunlight not only violates international human rights standards, but also constitutes a form of covert punishment, applied arbitrarily and without legitimate medical or disciplinary justification.
Privileges within the prison
According to the source, the camp's second-in-command grants illegal privileges to inmates from Güines, his hometown. These privileges include:
- Visits outside the established date
- Access to the pavilion on Saturdays
- Permissions to make phone calls
- Exemption from the work obligations imposed on the rest of the prison population
Lack of control and negligence in internal security
The complaint alleges that inmates Orman Garbey and Juan Carlos Mendoza (alias “Margot”) have access keys inside the prison, opening and closing doors without any supervision. This situation has reportedly facilitated escapes and other serious incidents, highlighting the lack of minimum security guarantees and effective prison management.
Inhumane conditions and reprisals
On previous occasions, Marta Perdomo has denounced the fact that her son, Jorge Martín Perdomo, the political prisoner from the July 11 attacks—held in that camp—is only allowed one hour of sunlight per week, despite the fact that exposure to natural light is essential for the physical and mental health of incarcerated individuals. She has also reported frequent restrictions on telephone calls, going more than two weeks without being able to communicate with his family.
Furthermore, he has denounced that He was forbidden to have books and papers, under the pretext that they could be used to manufacture “the chemical.” Jorge Martín has also been threatened by the prison warden, known as “López,” in retaliation for exposing beatings, abuse, and inhumane conditions within the camp.
The family has also reported extreme unsanitary conditions and mistreatment at that center:
- Lack of access to drinking water.
- Arbitrary punishments as a form of punishment.
- Those who refuse to work are locked in an amphitheater where sewage water drips from the ceiling, a space so unhealthy that they cannot even sit down.
These allegations describe a systematic pattern of corruption, impunity, collective punishment, negligence, and serious human rights violations within the Ho Chi Minh City prison camp. These are not isolated incidents, but rather repeated practices that reveal structural flaws in the prison administration: a lack of internal controls, privileges granted arbitrarily, punishments without legal basis, extremely unsanitary conditions, and the tolerance—and even participation—of officials in illicit activities such as drug trafficking.
These practices violate basic obligations of the Cuban State in matters of prevention of torture, protection of personal integrity and guarantee of minimum living conditions for persons in their custody, as required by the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (Mandela Rules) and other international human rights standards.
Cubalex will continue to document, verify and publicize these events.
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