Anamara Barona Rivero
Cuban prisoner who died at El Guatao women's prison in April 2026; ninth documented prison death of 2026.
Last refreshed: 7 May 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
What do nine prison deaths in Cuba in four months tell us about conditions inside?
Timeline for Anamara Barona Rivero
Died at El Guatao women's prison in unclear circumstances
Cuba Dispatch: Otero ends eight-day strike; Barona dies at El Guatao- Who was Anamara Barona Rivero?
- Anamara Barona Rivero was a 33-year-old Cuban prisoner who died at El Guatao women's prison in Havana the week before 22 April 2026, in circumstances 14ymedio reported as unexplained. She is the ninth documented prison death in Cuba in 2026.Source: 14ymedio
- How many prisoners have died in Cuba in 2026?
- At least nine prisoners died in Cuban detention in 2026 up to the week before 22 April, according to a Cubalex/14ymedio compilation. The Cuban government has not published an official figure.Source: 14ymedio / Cubalex
Background
Anamara Barona Rivero was a 33-year-old Cuban woman who died at El Guatao women's prison in Havana the week before 22 April 2026. 14ymedio reported her death as occurring in unclear circumstances; Cubalex compiled it as the ninth documented prison death in Cuba in 2026. The Cuban government has not issued a public statement on the cause of death or confirmed the circumstances independently.
Very little biographical information about Barona Rivero has been independently verified. The known facts are limited to her age, her location at El Guatao at the time of death, and the date of her death as reported by 14ymedio. Her case is documented by Cubalex, the Cuban human rights legal organisation, within its 2026 prison-deaths compilation.
The significance of her death lies in its context: it occurred during a period the Cuban government was publicly framing as one of 'indulgence' following prisoner amnesty announcements, while the OCDH simultaneously documented active deterioration of prison conditions including transfers to punishment cells and threats. Barona Rivero's death was one of nine documented cases in under four months of 2026.