This alternative report, prepared by various civil society organizations, assesses the Cuban State's compliance with the recommendations of the Committee against Torture (CAT), within the framework of the follow-up procedure to its third periodic report.
The document focuses on three priority areas:
– Independent inspection of detention facilities
– Protection of human rights defenders, journalists and artists
– Repression and prosecution of protesters following the protests of July 11, 2021 (11J)
Since the last review by the CAT, the human rights situation in Cuba has deteriorated further. The closure of civic space, the excessive use of force by state agents, and the systematic repression of activists, journalists, and artists reflect an increasingly authoritarian environment. Furthermore, the state's failure to guarantee basic rights has severely limited the full exercise of human rights by citizens.
Main findings
– Detention centers without independent supervision: There are no impartial mechanisms for inspecting prisons. Torture, cruel treatment, deaths in custody, and inhumane conditions continue to be reported, without investigations or sanctions for those responsible.
– Persecution of human rights defenders, journalists and artists: The state uses arbitrary arrests, restrictive laws, and censorship as tools of control. It criminalizes dissent and forces into exile those who exercise freedom of expression and defend human rights.
– Criminalization of the 11J protests: The peaceful demonstrations of July 11, 2021, were treated as acts of sedition. Disproportionate sentences were imposed based on insufficient evidence, without any investigation into abuses committed by state agents.
The Cuban state has failed to comply with the key recommendations of the Committee against Torture. A pattern of institutionalized repression, impunity, and a lack of political will to implement structural reforms persists. The human rights situation has deteriorated significantly, particularly regarding the treatment of detainees, the criminalization of dissent, and the closure of spaces for civic participation.
We invite you to consult the full report: