Punitive measures against political prisoners that cause severe suffering and retaliations against those who denounce abuses violate Cuba's obligations under the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, which it ratified in 1995. Whether held for political or common crimes, inmates endure severe hardships in Cuba's prisons. Most prisoners face malnourishment on the prison diet and suffer in overcrowded cells without sufficient medical attention. Prison authorities restrict inmates' access to receiving religious guidance, in some cases with interrogations about their religious beliefs. In some prisons, pre-trial detainees are held together with convicts and minors with adults.
Minors risk indefinite detention in juvenile facilities.
Cuba's refusal to allow prison monitoring makes arriving at a precise number of political prisoners impossible. The Cuban government bars regular access to its prisons by domestic and international human rights and humanitarian monitors. In recent years, the numbers of political prisoners declined due to a general trend toward shorter prison terms. One Cuban human rights group estimates that, following the releases in the wake of Pope John Paul II's January trip to Cuba, approximately 400 political prisoners remained.