The Cuban regime continues to use official summonses as a mechanism of intimidation and control against independent civil society activists and citizens who do not necessarily belong to an opposition organization or movement.
The monitoring carried out by Cubalex recorded 219 arbitrary citations in Cuba up to August 2026, directed both against people linked to independent civil society and against citizens who do not identify with any specific movement.
The figure constitutes a underreporting, This is because there may be other cases that have not been reported or documented. Fear of further reprisals, arrest, or consequences for their families may lead victims to remain silent.
Illegal or arbitrary official summonses are also among the most recurrent repressive incidents identified by Cubalex during the first half of 2026.
The summonses, part of a chain of repression
Cubalex's semiannual report documented violations in 65 categories of repressive incidents during the first six months of the year, compared to 61 categories registered in the previous semester.
Among the most frequent incidents were violations against persons deprived of their liberty, with 762 events; transfers to detention centers or penitentiary establishments, with 318; threats or coercion, with 313; police surveillance operations, with 287; the use of violence or harassment, with 269; arbitrary detentions, with 257; denial of medical attention or negligence, with 175; and the illegal or arbitrary official summonses, with 165 events.
Several of these categories do not constitute isolated incidents, but rather different stages of the same repressive strategy. Threats or coercion, official summonses, interrogations, and detention resulting from a summons can all form part of a sequence designed to pressure and discipline the person summoned.
During the first semester, 22 events jointly registered the four categories, while in four other cases a formal warning was also issued.
Threats or coercion increased 87 % compared to the previous semester, while official summonses increased by 51 %, according to Cubalex monitoring.
In practice, a person may receive an official summons to appear before a police or State Security unit, be interrogated, be detained beyond the time necessary for the procedure, and subsequently be threatened with consequences such as the loss of certain benefits, imprisonment, or reprisals against family members.
In many cases, this sequence ends with the imposition of a formal warning document, used as another pressure mechanism.
Emblematic cases: when attending a summons ends in prison or open criminal proceedings
The case of the content creator Anna Sofía Benítez and her mother This illustrates this pattern. Both were subjected to repeated summonses and interrogations as part of a sustained campaign of harassment against them, as documented by Cubalex in its report on trends and patterns of repression during the first half of 2026.
One of the most recent cases is that of the activist Lumey Guzmán Fernández, who in July attended a summons at the National Revolutionary Police (PNR) unit of Zone 7 of Alamar, in Havana.
After turning herself in to the authorities, Guzmán Fernández was detained. She was later transferred to the Cojímar police station, where she was held incommunicado, and was subsequently taken to the Western Women's Prison, known as The Guatao.
The activist remained in seclusion until the end of August, when She was released from prison Under bail. According to information documented by Cubalex, he will continue the legal process from his home after paying bail of 7,000 Cuban pesos (CUP).
The case highlights one of the risks associated with arbitrary subpoenas: The summons, formally presented as a procedure, can become the gateway to an arrest and, subsequently, to a criminal trial.
More recently, this September, the activist couple Yunia Figueredo and Francisco Correa They attended a summons at the Siboney police unit in Havana, where, in addition to questioning them, they were issued warning notices, accusing them of being the instigators of peaceful protests that occurred in their town of residence, Jaimanitas, the previous July.
In addition, Figueredo was placed under house arrest, prohibited from leaving the municipality, and required to sign in at the police station on the 10th of each Monday.
Also in this month of September, the police quoted The young man Raymar Aguado Fernández was taken to the Sixth Unit of the PNR in Marianao and informed about the opening of a criminal process against him for the alleged crimes of propaganda against the constitutional order and crimes against the State, for which he would be sentenced to three years in prison, according to officials present there.
Another recurring case is that of the vice president of MONR, Mario Hernández Leyva, who As a result of summonses, he has even been abandoned in places outside the Cuban capital and at night.
A mechanism of intimidation and control
The increase in citations and threats during 2026 shows that these incidents should be analyzed within a broader pattern of repression and not as isolated administrative actions.
The repeated use of summonses, interrogations, detentions, threats, and warning notices allows authorities to exert pressure on critical individuals without necessarily having a court order for arrest from the outset.
Furthermore, the fact that 219 citations have been documented up to August It reveals a widespread use of this mechanism against different sectors of the citizenry, from activists and independent journalists to people who do not formally belong to opposition organizations.
Arbitrary summonses thus constitute a control tool that can be combined with other forms of repression to intimidate, limit freedom of movement, obtain information, issue warnings and, in certain cases, lead the person to criminal proceedings or imprisonment.