He Abandoning opponents and activists in unpopulated areas, far from their homes and, in some cases, even in other provinces, has become a repressive practice used by State Security agents Cuban tactics are used to intimidate, punish, and break people who exercise fundamental rights. These acts usually occur after arbitrary arrests or periods of enforced disappearance and often take place at night or in the early morning, leaving victims without the means to return home.
One of the most recent cases occurred on August 19, 2026, against independent journalist and writer Francisco Correa Romero. The reporter explained that He was arrested while conducting an interview at the flag factory in Jaimanitas, in the Playa municipality of Havana. After being taken into custody by state agents, He was transported in a police car to Candelaria, in the province of Pinar del Río, where he was abandoned.
Correa also reported that during the operation, agents confiscated money and accreditation from the independent media outlet. Daily Cuba. His wife, independent journalist Yunia Figueredo, had reported since the afternoon of August 19 that she did not know Correa's whereabouts and blamed State Security for his disappearance.
The journalist was unable to return to Havana until the early morning of August 20, when he managed to travel in a truck transporting goods towards La Lisa. From that municipality he had to continue the journey on foot to his home in Jaimanitas.
Correa's case demonstrates how abandonment can be used as an extension of arbitrary detention: even if the person is eventually released, the authorities deliberately leave them in conditions that hinder their return, especially when they lack money, transportation, or means of communication. In these situations, the uncertainty surrounding the victim's whereabouts can last for hours, causing anguish among their family members.
Case of Mario Alberto Hernández: twice so far in 2026
So far in 2026, the Cubalex monitoring has recorded six events related to the abandonment of activists and opposition members in unpopulated places, far from their homes or difficult to access. The documented cases show a pattern in which authorities, after arresting or interrogating victims, move them away from their usual places and leave them without sufficient resources to return to their homes.
This practice has an intimidating effect and can create conditions of physical and psychological vulnerability. Abandoned at night, in the early morning, or in remote locations, victims are exposed to additional risks and must find their own way back home.
One of the most relevant cases is that of the vice president of the Opposition Movement for a New Republic (MONR), Mario Alberto Hernández Leyva, who has reported having been subjected to this type of retaliation at least twice during 2026.
The most recent episode occurred in July, when Hernández Leyva reported being beaten, threatened, and subjected to enforced disappearance for several hours. by State Security agents. The opposition member was arrested while on his way to an event organized by the US Secretary of State in Havana, Mike Hammer.
He was initially taken to the Marianao police station. Later, the officers put him back in a patrol car and took him out of Havana.
“They took me almost to another province, Artemisa. ”In the middle of a highway they took me out in handcuffs, led me to some bushes, removed my pants, and took pictures of me. They brought me back to the Sixth Unit in Marianao,” Hernández Leyva recounted.
The activist also reported receiving threats during the operation and the disappearance of several of his belongings.
In addition to Correa and Hernández Leyva, other activists and opposition members who have suffered during 2026 from incidents related to abandonment in remote or unpopulated places are Alexander Díaz Rodríguez, José Elías González, Manuel Cuesta Morúa and Rolando Pérez Lora.
A form of punishment and harassment
Forced abandonment must be analyzed within the set of practices used by Cuban authorities to punish people for their activism, practice of independent journalism, participation in opposition activities, or links with civil society actors.
The practice does not necessarily end with the release of the detainee. By deliberately moving them to a distant location and leaving them without money, transportation, or other means to return, the officers prolong the effects of the detention and create an additional situation of vulnerability.
In several of the cases documented by Cubalex, the abandonment occurs after interrogations, threats, beatings, confiscation of belongings, or periods of incommunicado detention. This reveals a pattern of harassment directed not only at the victim but also at their family, who are left for hours without knowing their whereabouts.
The case of Francisco Correa once again highlights this practice. The journalist was arrested while carrying out his work, held incommunicado for hours, and ended up abandoned in another province, dozens of kilometers from his home, without the money he was carrying and without a safe way to return.
Cubalex considers it necessary to document these events as part of the patterns of repression used against independent journalists, opposition members, and activists in Cuba. Abandoning them in unpopulated or remote locations does not constitute effective release. when the authorities deliberately create conditions of risk, lack of protection and vulnerability for the detained person.
The repetition of these episodes during 2026 demonstrates the need to continue recording and analyzing them as a specific form of repressive violence, particularly when they occur in conjunction with arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, threats, physical assaults, confiscation of belongings, and other forms of state harassment.