Independent NGO reports two femicides in central Cuba in the last week

An independent feminist platform has confirmed two new femicides in Cuba's central Sancti Spíritus province over the past week, raising the total reported femicides for 2026 to 34. The platform, Alas Tensas (AT), highlighted the cases in a report shared on social media, detailing the victims and alleged perpetrators.

One victim, Lidianni Luis González, a mother of two, was reportedly killed by her ex-partner on June 21 near La Trinchera. AT's Gender Observatory (OGAT) noted that González had previously reported her aggressor, criticizing the police's "negligent conduct" in the case. The second victim, Zarahelga (Sarita) Pardo López, 29, was reported killed on June 29 by her ex-partner, the father of her three children. The alleged aggressor attempted suicide after the act and is currently hospitalized under police custody.

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had previously denounced her aggressor, which denotes the negligent conduct of the police.

Alas Tensas has expressed growing concern over the rise in gender-based violence in Cuba, attributing the increased vulnerability of women and girls partly to the country's ongoing economic and energy crisis. The NGO has repeatedly called on the Cuban government to take concrete actions, including publishing systematic official statistics, formally defining femicide as a crime, activating protection protocols, establishing shelters for at-risk women, and ensuring effective emergency hotlines.

Since 2019, AT has documented 350 femicides in Cuba in collaboration with the feminist platform YoSiTeCreo en Cuba (YSTCC). The organization is currently investigating twelve potential femicides, five attempts, and one male murder linked to feminicidal violence reported in 2025, along with ten potential machista murders and three attempts reported in 2026. Official Cuban state statistics from 2024 indicated 76 women were murdered by partners or ex-partners, though activists argue the government's "zero tolerance" stance lacks concrete preventative and victim support measures. Cuba's Penal Code does not specifically criminalize femicide, and state media rarely covers such incidents.

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publish systematic official statistics, criminalize femicide, activate protection protocols, provide shelters for women at risk, and guarantee effective emergency lines.