The human rights organization Cubalex has raised an alarm regarding the shutdown of the medical facility at the Cuba-Panamá prison in Güines, Mayabeque. This penitentiary is specifically designated for individuals deprived of liberty who live with HIV.
This complaint was sparked by the protest of political prisoner Pedro Luis Fernández Peralta, a member of the Frente Antitotalitario Unido (FANTU), who challenged a lieutenant colonel from the Ministry of the Interior (MININT) during an inspection visit to the prison on October 21.
The officer, part of the Provincial Delegation of Mayabeque, solicited feedback from inmates regarding the prison's operations.
Peralta spoke up, describing the closure of the medical service as "a premeditated genocide," arguing that denying medical attention to inmates places their health in jeopardy.
The MININT officer defended the closure, citing that the Ministry of Public Health staff refused to work at the prison and acknowledged difficulties in staffing civil hospitals with enough doctors.
Peralta dismissed this explanation, demanding that if the state cannot ensure minimal conditions to keep inmates alive, they should be released. "By not doing so, they are killing us day after day," he retorted to the military officer.
The official left without addressing the grievances raised.
Other prisoners supported the protest, highlighting a growing list of deficiencies that have worsened over time: "Initially, there was a lack of food, then our families couldn't even visit us because there is no transportation, recently we haven't had water for bathing and barely enough to drink, and now they've shut down the medical post and told us to ask our families for medicine," they reported according to FANTU.
Cubalex emphasizes the critical nature of this situation, as HIV requires constant immunological monitoring and strict adherence to antiretroviral treatment to prevent virus mutations and virological failures. Without medical personnel present, such monitoring is impossible.
The group frames the complaint within the UN's Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners — known as the Nelson Mandela Rules — warning that "detention does not suspend the right to health nor absolve the State of its responsibility to provide adequate healthcare."
This closure is part of a documented pattern of deteriorating healthcare services at this prison. Back in May 2026, Fernández Peralta had already reported that officials informed inmates the state couldn't guarantee medications, including antiretrovirals. In August, Cubalex noted that Lismani Acosta Gómez, a 19-year-old with HIV transferred to Cuba-Panamá after being arrested during a cacerolazo in Guanabacoa, experienced weight loss, scabies, and tuberculosis.
The history of deaths linked to medical neglect in similar facilities heightens concerns. In February 2026, 11J political prisoner Luis Miguel Oña Jiménez, 27, died at home shortly after receiving a terminal medical release; he had served part of his sentence at Cuba-Panamá and suffered a cerebral ischemia without adequate treatment.
The broader context documented by Cubalex is equally alarming: between February 2024 and June 2026, the organization recorded 115 deaths in Cuban prisons, with nearly 70% linked to neglect or denial of medical care. In September 2026 alone, Cubalex reported 38 incidents of denial of healthcare or neglect in Cuban jails, amidst a total of 298 repressive events that month.
Neither the Ministry of the Interior nor any other regime institution has officially confirmed the medical post's closure or provided an exact date for it; all available information comes from human rights organizations' complaints and inmates' testimonies.
Frequently Asked Questions about Healthcare in Cuban Prisons
What prompted Cubalex to denounce the closure of the medical post at Cuba-Panamá prison?
Cubalex's denunciation was prompted by the protest of political prisoner Pedro Luis Fernández Peralta, who challenged a Ministry of the Interior officer about the closure during an inspection visit.
Why is the closure of the medical post particularly concerning for inmates with HIV?
Inmates with HIV require constant immunological monitoring and strict adherence to antiretroviral treatments to prevent virus mutations and virological failures. Without medical staff, such monitoring is unfeasible.
How has the broader healthcare situation in Cuban prisons been described by Cubalex?
Cubalex has documented a concerning pattern of healthcare neglect, noting 115 deaths in Cuban prisons between February 2024 and June 2026, with nearly 70% linked to medical neglect or denial.