Sayli Navarro: Cuba’s Political Prisoner in Urgent Need of Medical Care

Photo of Sayli Navarro reading The Black Book of Communism and standing beside a wall displaying the hashtag #FastingAgainstCrime and the logo of the Pedro Luis Boitel Democracy Party. Photo: Infobae

By Michael Lima | DEMOCRATIC SPACES | OCTOBER 1, 2026

Democratic Spaces joins the organization DEFENSA CD in raising our voice to demand that Cuban prisoner of conscience Sayli Navarro receive the specialized medical care she urgently needs. At the same time, we reiterate our call for her immediate and unconditional release, along with that of her father, Félix Navarro, a veteran pro-democracy leader and head of the Pedro Luis Boitel Party for Democracy.

Sayli Navarro is a Cuban prisoner of conscience and a longtime member of the Ladies in White (Damas de Blanco) who has dedicated much of her life to the cause of freedom and human rights in Cuba. From a young age, she experienced firsthand the consequences of political repression through the imprisonment of her father, Félix Navarro, who was jailed during the 2003 Black Spring as one of the Group of 75 dissidents. She is among the 155 female political prisoners in Cuba, out of a total of 1,339 political prisoners documented by Prisoners Defenders as of August 2026.

Félix Navarro (center), Sayli Navarro (right), and Sonia Álvarez, Sayli’s mother (left). Photo: Infobae

Since 2022, Sayli has been serving an unjust eight-year prison sentence at La Bellotex prison in Matanzas, convicted of contempt, disobedience, and public disorder, offenses frequently used by Cuban authorities against peaceful dissent and political opposition.

DEFENSA CD recently raised the alarm over the deterioration of Navarro’s health and called on prison authorities to provide her with clinical examinations, specialized medical attention, and appropriate treatment. According to the organization, Navarro is suffering from stomach problems and has difficulty tolerating food.

The organization has also demanded that visits between Sayli and her imprisoned father be restored without further delay and reiterated its call for their immediate and unconditional release.

Sayli’s story also illustrates how political repression in Cuba can extend beyond imprisonment and into access to education. Her experience challenges the Cuban government’s portrayal of education as an unconditional social achievement by showing how educational opportunities can be made contingent on political conformity.

Saylí Navarro holding a Cuban flag. Photo: Infobae

On January 12, 2010, Sayli was expelled from her law studies in Matanzas after participating in a journalism course organized by the U.S. Interests Section in Havana. University officials subsequently went to her home, questioned her participation in the course, and told her that the purpose of Cuban universities was to train “revolutionary professionals” and that by attending the course she had “violated her duties.”

Her trajectory, from the daughter of a political prisoner to an activist facing repression herself, reflects the deeply personal and intergenerational consequences of political imprisonment in Cuba.

Arbitrary arrest of Saylí Navarro in 2013

Democratic Spaces stands with Sayli Navarro and Félix Navarro. We call for specialized and adequate medical care for Sayli, the restoration of contact between father and daughter, and their immediate and unconditional release.

For more on Sayli Navarro’s story, see Michael Lima, “Sayli Navarro: An Iconic Image in the Struggle for Freedom in Cuba.” and  ‘Saylí Will Not Leave Cuba’

For more information on her current health condition and calls for adequate medical attention, see Martí Noticias: “Exigen atención médica urgente para la presa política cubana Saylí Navarro”.

Prisoners Defenders, Cuba reaches a new record of 1,339 political prisoners: demanding water and electricity leads to prison and punishes entire families.