Cuban dictatorship adds another 13 political prisoners, including a pregnant minor

Two teenage girls, one of whom is pregnant, are among the 13 new political prisoners registered in Cuba over the past month, according to a report released Wednesday by Prisoners Defenders (PD). 

The Madrid-based organization noted that despite the new arrests, the total number of political prisoners in Cuba remains at 1,185, the same as in September, because another 13 were released, 12 of them after completing sentences.

Among the new cases are Eliane Martín, 16 and pregnant, and Leroy Hernández Escalona, 17, both arrested in Las Tunas after the September 17 protests in Maniabón, where dozens of residents took to the streets to demand the restoration of electricity service and water supply.

Prisoners Defenders condemned Martín’s detention, noting that it has raised serious concern among human rights organizations. As a pregnant minor, she has been deprived of her liberty without judicial protection or access to an independent lawyer. Her family’s requests for information about her health and whereabouts have gone unanswered.

"The case of Eliane Martín symbolizes the extreme degree of repression that reaches even minors and pregnant women in Cuba," the organization said.

Hernández, meanwhile, is being held at the headquarters of Instrucción Provincial de Las Tunas, which family members and activists have described as a 'torture center' due to the repeated reports of mistreatment and inhumane conditions.

The regime's causes: "Enemy propaganda, public disorder and sabotage"

Authorities accuse the youths—including Martín’s partner, Pedro Luis Bello—of crimes such as attacks against the police, enemy propaganda, public disorder, and sabotage. However, witnesses and close associates insist that the protests were entirely peaceful.

The PD report emphasizes that all the detainees remain without effective judicial protection, independent legal defense, or direct communication with their families.

In its monthly report, Prisoners Defenders also noted the departure of activists José Daniel Ferrer and Luis Robles Elizástigui from Cuba on October 13, an event the organization described as a milestone for the defense of freedom and human rights on the island.