Executive Summary
May 2024 was marked by the sustained worsening of the socio-economic crisis in Cuba, characterized by prolonged power outages (up to 20 hours per day), Shortages of gas and drinking water, shortages of food and medicine, and a collapsed healthcare system. The health emergency worsened with the spread of the Oropouche fever, while the State prioritized the export of doctors to Mexico over national care.
Far from offering structural solutions, the regime intensified its social control and allocated resources to repression, even on symbolic dates like May 1st and 20th. In this context, citizen discontent manifested itself in protests, such as the one that occurred in Ciudad Nuclear, Cienfuegos, which were met with violence, arrests and threats of disproportionate punishments.
Repression in numbers
Cubalex documented a total of 317 repressive acts, which included 706 incidents distributed across 50 categories, registered in 61 municipalities from all provinces and the Isle of Youth. There wasn't a single day without acts of repression, confirming the policy of constant harassment. At least 291 victims direct, most without political affiliation, although the most vulnerable groups continue to be activists, Afro-descendant people and those deprived of their liberty.
The report documents preventive and punitive repression on commemorative dates such as International Workers' Day and the founding of the Republic, through internet shutdowns, arrests, surveillance, and fines. [The following were recorded:] 63 repressive acts in these contexts.
Furthermore, it was reported that selective territorial repression, ...as in Pinar del Río, where equipment was confiscated from journalists of the community media outlet Panorama Pinareño, and the judicial system was used to threaten with sentences of up to 30 years in prison or even the death penalty, taking as a reference official televised statements.
Rapes in prisons and deaths in custody
Prisons remain spaces of impunity: lacking medical care, with inadequate food, subject to torture, isolation, and poor living conditions. During the month, At least four people died in custody, among them Alexis Curbelo, due to lack of medical attention, and Luis Ángel Benítez, He was found handcuffed and beaten at a police station. Other victims died from starvation or inhumane conditions at Guantanamo Combine and the Cuba-Panama prison.
Methodology
This report was compiled from an analysis of 606 records collected between May 1 and 31, 2024. Sources used include Facebook posts (223), news websites (214), reports sent directly to Cubalex (86), and Twitter (69). The organization cautions that these figures represent an undercount, as many human rights violations go unreported due to censorship, limited internet access, and victims' fear of reprisals.
For more details on the violations documented by Cubalex, please see our full report.