Cuba Femicides Reach 54 in Nine Months, Passing 2025 Total, Independent Observatory Says
SOCIETY · CUBA
Key Facts
- —The country Cuba, fewer than 10 million people. The state keeps no running femicide count, and femicide is not a separate crime in its penal code.
- —What happened The independent observatory OGAT confirmed its 54th femicide of 2026, a 34-year-old teacher killed on 25 September in Ciego de Ávila, Diario de Cuba reported on 28 September.
- —The numbers OGAT: 54 this year to 28 September, against 48 in 2025 and 90 in 2023. 14ymedio, with narrower criteria, counts 50. Courts tried 49 cases in 2025 (EFE, 18 August).
- —What it means for you These are overwhelmingly killings at home by partners or former partners. Nearly 90% of the cases tried in 2025 happened in the home, official data show.
- —Still open Further possible cases remain under review, EFE reported on 28 September. An official figure for 2026 will exist only once courts have tried this year’s cases.
Cuba femicides have reached 54 so far in 2026, according to the independent Alas Tensas Gender Observatory (OGAT). Diario de Cuba reported the count on 28 September, after the killing of a teacher in Ciego de Ávila province.
The tally already exceeds the observatory’s 48 cases for all of 2025. It remains well below 2023, the worst year in its records, with 90.
The Latest Case and the Count
Didianny Barreto Palmero, 34, was killed on 25 September in Ceballos, Ciego de Ávila. Her former partner, 43, took his own life after the attack, 14ymedio and CiberCuba reported.
She worked in education and left two young daughters, CiberCuba reported. OGAT also lists 27 attempted femicides this year, according to 14ymedio.
OGAT, run by the feminist magazine Alas Tensas, has documented cases since 2019. It calls its figures a “verifiable under-count”, built from relatives, witnesses, social media and independent press.
What the State Counts, and What It Leaves Out
Cuba does publish official figures, but only once a year and only for cases tried in court. The state gender observatory, released through the statistics office ONEI, counted 49 such killings in 2025.
The same series showed 76 cases in 2024 and 60 in 2023, the Spanish agency EFE reported on 18 August. It gave a rate of 1.19 per 100,000 women for 2025.
Cases where the suspect dies before trial, like Barreto’s, never enter that series, 14ymedio noted. The two series also move differently: courts tried 76 cases in 2024, a year in which OGAT counted 56.
Femicide is not a specific crime in Cuba’s penal code, EFE noted. Gender-motivated killings are prosecuted as homicide or murder.
Cuba Femicides: Several Counts, One Direction
The Havana-based outlet 14ymedio keeps its own tally, which stood at 50 after the Barreto case. It leaves out killings during robberies or random attacks.
Tallies of Cuba femicides differ by method, but both independent counts are above their 2025 totals. 14ymedio counted 42 last year.
Earlier in September, Yusinay Capetillo Martínez, 41, was attacked in her Havana home during a blackout, Diario de Cuba reported. Power cuts have been long this year, including a grid failure that left more than 9 million people without power.
Courts elsewhere in the region are testing femicide law. In Colombia, an appeals court this week kept the Luz Mery Tristán femicide verdict but cut Andrés Ricci’s sentence to 41 years and 8 months.
What It Means for Residents
There is more data than before 2019, when independent groups began counting. The state’s yearly report now breaks cases down by province, age and setting.
It found that 89.7% of 2025 cases took place at home, EFE reported. Former partners were responsible in 46.9% of them, and 54 children lost their mothers.
For foreign residents and visitors, the figures do not describe danger in public places. For those with Cuban partners, relatives or staff, warning signs are often seen first by family and neighbours.
What Is Not Yet Known
The true number of Cuba femicides this year is not known. OGAT calls its tally an under-count, and further possible cases are still being checked.
Some agency reports on 28 September gave OGAT’s total as 50, apparently mixing it with 14ymedio’s figure. Diario de Cuba, 14ymedio and CiberCuba all put OGAT’s own count at 54.
It is also unclear whether lawmakers will reopen the debate on a separate femicide offence. For now, independent groups and the state publish two different kinds of record.
More: Cuba Explained 2026: The Economy, the Exodus, the System and What to Watch.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many femicides has Cuba had in 2026?
The independent Alas Tensas Gender Observatory (OGAT) had confirmed 54 Cuba femicides by 28 September, Diario de Cuba reported. The outlet 14ymedio, using narrower criteria, counts 50.
Does Cuba publish official femicide statistics?
Only in part. A state gender observatory publishes a yearly count of gender-motivated killings tried in court, which was 49 for 2025. There is no official running count.
Why do the counts differ?
OGAT verifies cases through relatives, witnesses and the press, including those where the suspect dies. The state counts only cases tried in court, and 14ymedio excludes killings during robberies.
Sources: Diario de Cuba, 28 September 2026; Diario de Cuba, 25 September 2026; 14ymedio, 28 September 2026; CiberCuba, 28 September 2026; OGAT annual report 2025, April 2026; EFE via Swissinfo, 18 August 2026; EFE via Infobae, 28 September 2026.
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