In Cuban detention facilities, it is reported that tens of thousands of prisoners are compelled to engage in forced work to manufacture products used both for the country's economy and for export, especially to Europe.
The non-governmental organization Prisoners Defenders has disclosed its research resultsin a detailed reportreleased on Monday, according to official Cuban records confirmed by the Institute for Crime and Justice Policy Research at Birkbeck University in London, along with field studies and accounts from former and current prisoners.
Out of the 90,000 prisoners and 37,458 individuals under open prison sentences recorded on the island, the report suggests that approximately 60,000 inmates — among them political prisoners — are compelled to work under forced labour conditions in Cuba, similar to those of slavery.
The document offers a comprehensive summary of an extensive forced labor system that is structured across a network of 242 penal facilities, which encompass conventional prisons as well as so-called "correctional centres," "camps," and "farms."
The duties assigned to prisoners differed, including tasks such as farming, manufacturing, and building projects, as well as garbage disposal and maintaining cleanliness in streets, hospitals, and police stations.
The accounts documented in the report outline severe working environments and a routine marked by scarcity, abuse, and aggression, all while being closely monitored.
"They compel us to labor from dawn until dusk, under the blazing sun, with inadequate food and water. Refusing is met with instant violence. Some of my coworkers fainted from fatigue, while others were isolated in solitary confinement for days merely for expressing their views," said Jorge, a former political detainee.
Working without shoes in the sugarcane fields, under the rain and scorching heat, feels like being a slave," remarked Maria, a former detainee under regular law. "No payment, no dignity. It's a life filled with hardship where you question each day whether you'll survive.
Apart from the absence of proper equipment and poor safety measures, which have caused many injuries, most witnesses state that their health has significantly worsened due to compulsory labor and the absence of medical treatment.
The cultivation of sugarcane and the production of charcoal from marabu wood, the primary agricultural output by prisoners, is considered one of the most demanding tasks.imposed on prisoners, as stated in the report.
"To create charcoal, we rest in the fields, without a bed or shelter. We must construct temporary huts and can only sleep on straw bundles ... We are only able to drink muddy water from a trough or from the cows on the nearby farm," shared an inmate.
Charcoal and cigarettes, a murky corporate enterprise
The study shows that the output of these businesses is primarily meant for international sales.
As per the Prisoners Defenders report, which references data from the Observatory of Economic Complexity (OCE) and the World Bank, in 2023, "charcoal made through forced labor was Cuba's sixth biggest export," positioning it as the ninth leading charcoal exporter globally.
Key locations include Spain, Portugal, Greece, Italy, and Turkey, with Cuban charcoal made in prisons found across all European nations, as per the report's conclusions.
A profitable part of the prison industry relates to tobacco, particularly the creation of the famous Habanos cigars.
"Forced labor impacts the Cuban tobacco and Havana cigar industry, managed by Tabacuba, through a combination of specialized civilians and prisoners who are compelled to work," said Prisoners Defenders, citing multiple accounts and an examination of seven Cuban prisons.
The document mentions the case of the cigar factory located at the Quivican maximum-security prison, where 40 prisoners are employed, overseen by two trained civilians.
Prisoners labor for as many as 15 hours each day, excluding Sunday afternoons, with no intervals or food provisions. Their monthly compensation is slightly more than €6, in contrast to approximately €100 earned by ordinary workers.
As per data collected by the NGO, cigar factories situated in numerous Cuban prisons contribute significantly to the production of Cuban cigars for international markets, with export profits to Europe nearly doubling.very lucrative businessfor the authorities in Havana.
End the international silence
It also represents a profitable venture for international distributors and importers, especially those from Europe, who gain either directly or indirectly from the work of Cuban prisoners.
The lack of transparency in supply chains and distribution networks, which may involve local subsidiaries or business partners, complicates the tracking of products and, as a result, the responsibility of international companies.
Prisoners' Advocates have called on the global community to intervene and put an end to forced labor, which isprohibitedby the United Nations Human Rights Council, the International Labour Organization, and the European Convention on Human Rights.
Concrete steps proposed by the NGO involve implementing a specific trade ban on goods produced using forced labor, especially those sent to Europe, and halting all trade or partnership agreements with Cuba until forced labor is eliminated.
However, in the absence of this, the boundaries have changed within European institutions. Last November, the European Council adopted aregulation prohibiting the sale, import, and export to the EU of items produced through forced labor, irrespective of their country of origin.
This rule, set to come into effect in December 2024, is still not fully established. Member countries of the EU have until December 2027 to start putting it into practice.