This is the second in a series of CubaBriefs fact checking the claims made by Cuban president Miguel Diaz-Canel during his appearance on Meet the Press broadcast on April 12, 2026.
Alexander Díaz Rodríguez, Cuban political prisoner. (Photo courtesy Prisoners Defenders)
Fact Checking Miguel Diaz-Canel’s Meet the Press appearance
“Falsehood flies, and truth comes limping after it.” – Jonathan Swift The Art of Political Lying (1710).
Fact-check: There are political prisoners in Cuba. Díaz-Canel denied their existence, but international human groups claim over 1,200.
The interview was recorded in Havana on April 9, 2026, and aired in full on April 12, 2026 (a roughly 53-minute episode). When Kristen Welker pressed him on U.S. demands that included releasing political prisoners (citing the over 1,200 documented cases and the high-profile imprisonment of rapper Maykel Osorbo since 2021 for the protest song “Patria y Vida”), Díaz-Canel denied their existence outright.
Below is the exchange.at 45:39:
KRISTEN WELKER:
They’re giving me the hard wrap. So let me, let me get these questions out. There are still more than 1,200 political prisoners, including one of the most high profile political prisoners, Cuban rapper Maykel Osorbo, who’s been in prison since 2021 for writing a protest song that won two Latin Grammys. Will you commit to releasing him and the other political prisoners?
PRES. MIGUEL DÍAZ-CANEL [TRANSLATED]:
That’s another issue in which you can see all of these bias and all these prejudices. They speak about political prisoners in Cuba. Like you said, where the people is going through a very difficult situation. There are people in Cuba who are not in favor of the revolution. There are people who do not support the revolution and they manifest themselves on a daily basis against a revolution and they’re not in prison. This narrative that has been created, that image that anyone who speaks against a revolution is thrown into jail, that’s a big lie, that’s a slander, and that’s part of that construct, in order to vilify and to engage a character assassination of the Cuban Revolution.
Independent, non-governmental human rights organizations with long track records of documenting cases in Cuba have consistently verified the existence of hundreds to over 1,200 political prisoners (often called “prisoners of conscience” when detained solely for nonviolent expression or dissent). These figures come from on-the-ground verification, family reports, court records, and prison monitoring—not U.S. government sources or exile groups alone.
Prisoners Defenders (Madrid-based NGO that has tracked Cuban political prisoners since 2019): As of March 2026, it documented 1,250 political prisoners (up from 1,214 in February 2026). This includes people arrested for nonviolent protests (e.g., 11J protests of 2021), social-media posts, artistic expression, or human-rights advocacy. Many are held on vague charges like “public disorder” or “disrespect to authorities.” The group also notes ongoing new arrests and that recent mass prisoner releases (e.g., over 2,000 in April 2026) excluded political cases.
Human Rights Watch (April 2026 reporting): Over 700 political prisoners remained imprisoned even after partial releases; hundreds more face house arrest or restrictions. Recent “humanitarian” amnesties (April 2026 and earlier) deliberately excluded critics of the government. HRW has documented arbitrary detention, abuse in prisons, and lack of due process for dissenters.
Amnesty International: Designates specific high-profile cases as prisoners of conscience (e.g., Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, Maykel Osorbo / Maykel Castillo Pérez, Félix Navarro Rodríguez, Sayli Navarro Álvarez, and others). It describes a pattern of repression where people are jailed solely for exercising rights to freedom of expression, assembly, or peaceful protest, with no violence involved. Amnesty has repeatedly called for their unconditional release and noted that recent releases were selective, opaque, and excluded these cases.
Sayli Navarro Álvarez, Félix Navarro, Loreto Hernández García, Donaida Pérez Paseiro, Roberto Pérez Fonseca, Maykel Castillo Pérez (Maykel ‘Osorbo’), and Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara
The Cuban dictatorship has long maintained that it holds no political prisoners—only people who committed common crimes—and Havana rejects international monitoring.
However, the consistent, cross-verified documentation from these organizations (which use rigorous criteria like proof of non-violent political motive) directly contradicts that claim. The numbers fluctuate with arrests and occasional selective releases, but the pattern of detaining critics has been documented for decades, including after the 2021 protests and more recent acts of dissent.
In short, the evidence from credible human rights monitors shows Díaz-Canel’s denial was incorrect.
Political prisoners exist in Cuba, and their cases are tied to political expression, and the exercise of fundamental human rights, rather than criminality.
There is a petition underway calling for the release of all Cuban political prisoners, and for this to be a priority. https://www.change.org/FreeAllPoliticalPrisoners
Amnesty International, April 15, 2026
Cuba: Authorities must now release those detained for political reasons and end repression
One month after the Cuban authorities announced the imminent release of 51 detainees and following the recent announcement of a pardon for 2,010 people on 2 April 2026, Amnesty International warns that the measures remain marked by a lack of transparency and discretion, with no guarantee of full release or genuine respect for human rights. The organization reiterates its call for the immediate and unconditional release of all people detained for political reasons and an end to the repression of those who are simply exercising their human rights.
To date, the Cuban authorities have not published a complete official list of the people granted releases or pardons. Experience from previous processes shows that opaque and discretionary measures can leave people under arbitrary restrictions, constant surveillance, bans on leaving the country and the permanent threat of being sent back to prison, perpetuating a climate of control and fear.
“The Cuban authorities continue to administer freedom as if it were a discretionary concession and not an obligation of the state. It is time to replace partial, opaque, revocable and unwarranted announcements with the immediate and unconditional release of all people imprisoned solely for exercising their human rights, and the definitive cessation of the use of freedom as a political bargaining chip”, said Ana Piquer, Americas director at Amnesty International.
Amnesty International recalls that the processes of release or pardon do not replace the state’s obligation to end arbitrary detention, overturn unjust sentences or fully compensate victims. In particular, it stresses that no person should be deprived of their liberty, or have their rights restricted, for expressing critical opinions, demonstrating peacefully or reporting on the reality of the country.
To date, none of the people recognized by Amnesty International as prisoners of conscience in Cuba – Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, Maykel Castillo Pérez (Osorbo), Félix Navarro Rodríguez, Saily Navarro Álvarez, Roberto Pérez Fonseca, Loreto Hernández García and Donaida Pérez Paseiro – have been released.
Following the announcement of pardons, human rights organizations monitoring the situation in the country have been unable to verify the release of any person detained for political reasons.
These new announcements come against a backdrop of intensifying state repression. In March 2026, social protests broke out in the city of Morón, province of Ciego de Ávila, amid prolonged blackouts, fuel shortages and the sustained deterioration of living conditions. According to information documented by the human rights organization Cubalex, at least 85 people were arrested after protests during the month of March, including at least two teenagers.
The crackdown has also intensified against digital content creators, as well as their families. In recent weeks, Amnesty International has documented threats, surveillance, arbitrary detentions and pressure against young people who use social media to question the authorities from within the island.
For example, content creators from the digital media channel El4tico, who were subjected to warrantless searches of the house where they produced their content, remain arbitrarily detained
and face criminal proceedings for reporting; young people from the Fuera de la Caja project, whose relatives reported intimidation by state security; and the reprisals and criminalization reported by Ana Bensi and her mother, in a context of harassment linked to their social media activity.
“The repression in Cuba is not only directed against those who protest or against historical figures of dissent. It also targets young people who report, comment or create content, and deliberately punishes their mothers, fathers and relatives as a form of coercion. This use of the family environment to sow fear reveals the extent of the closure of civic space in Cuba”, said Ana Piquer.
All this occurs in the midst of a crisis due to the deterioration of living conditions that continue to affect access to basic rights and services such as electricity, food, medicine, transport and other essential goods, deepening the daily suffering of the population.
Amnesty International reiterates that no measure, internal or external, should aggravate the suffering of the Cuban people. In this regard, the organization maintains its rejection of unilateral external coercive measures that worsen living conditions on the island, while stressing that they do not exempt the Cuban state from its obligation to respect, protect and guarantee human rights.
The announcement of contact and conversations between officials from Cuba and the United States adds a new political dimension to the current context. On 13 March, Miguel Díaz-Canel publicly confirmed that representatives of both governments had held exchanges to address bilateral differences and identify possible areas of cooperation, without detailing their content. For Amnesty International, any dialogue process must centre around the human rights and humanitarian needs of all people in Cuba, without discrimination.
“Human rights are non-negotiable: the future of Cuba must be agreed and determined with full accountability, justice and reparations to those who live under repression, scarcity and a lack of freedoms”, concluded Ana Piquer.