Although Cuba’s repression of human rights defenders, journalists and other independent activists is well-known, the particular impact of this repression on women is rarely discussed.

 

According to the Cuban Observatory on Human Rights, there were 3,157 arbitrary detentions in Cuba during 2019, including 1,531 arbitrary arrests of women. Currently, there are at least six women being held as political prisoners in Cuba, according to information gathered by the International Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights (Race & Equality).

 

This page will compile the stories of the women who the Cuban State is holding as political prisoners, former prisoners who have been released and human rights defenders currently being persecuted by the government. They are all victims of a system of repression that violates their rights to personal integrity, freedom of expression and political affiliation and the fundamental rights to life and liberty.