The Cuban regime has intensified repression, with mass detentions during protests and later summons, threats, fines, and long criminal processes; 257 arbitrary detentions were recorded, affecting at least 410 victims in the semester.

Protests have grown more radical, including acts like burning the entrance to the municipal PCC headquarters in Morón and a museum linked to a Che Guevara ally in Contramaestre, underscoring rising social discontent.

Havana remains the epicenter of mobilization, hosting the most events over six months, with Santiago de Cuba and Matanzas following as major focal points.

Cubanex NGO reports an unprecedented surge in protests in the first half of 2026, recording 766 demonstrations across 141 municipalities, driven by energy, water, and health crises.

C Cuba faces deep, multi-year crises—shortages of basics, frequent outages, inflation, partial dollarization, and deteriorating services—exacerbated by continued U.S. sanctions and tighter oil embargoes.

In prisons, violence and avoidable deaths due to medical negligence persist, with ongoing impunity and heightened vulnerabilities among Afro-descendants, human rights defenders, and former political prisoners.

Protests peaked in February and June, with as many as 31 protests in a single day in June and 253 protests in that month—the highest monthly total since records began in 2022.

Additional repressive measures include detentions, prosecutions, sanctions against critical opinions, selective cuts to communications, and cyber-attacks aimed at surveillance and censorship.