Femicides in Cuba: documenting every case and sustaining prevention

The independent platform Alas Tensas added the death of Marili Reina Fajardo to its annual count and placed the number of femicides it reports as confirmed in Cuba during 2026 at 60. Fajardo was 45. Her body was found in Brisas del Mar, Habana del Este, on October 21, according to information distributed by the organization.

According to the platform's account, Fajardo left her home in La Lima, Guanabo, to go to work as a domestic worker but never reached her destination. Alas Tensas also said she performed different jobs to support her family. Those details allow part of her life to be reconstructed without reducing her to the violence she suffered.

The organization said the body showed signs of extreme violence and sexual assault. That description must be attributed to information released by the observatory: available material contains no official version of the investigation or detail about its progress. Precise attribution matters, especially with grave events that still require clarification.

The count accompanying the update contains distinct categories. In addition to the 60 cases Alas Tensas classifies as verified in 2026, the organization maintains 23 possible femicides from 2025-2026 and records 38 attempted killings associated with gender-based violence. These are not equivalent figures and should not be added as though they measure the same phenomenon.

Separating confirmed cases, possible cases and attempts helps explain what each number counts, although it does not by itself resolve the limitations of an independent registry. Interpreting the total requires preserving both the attribution and category used by the organization. The increase to 60 reflects addition of this case to its own count, not an official figure presented in the material.

Ileana Álvarez, director of Alas Tensas, called for the killing to be clarified and said it should be investigated with a gender perspective. Her appeal places two issues at the forefront: learning what happened and addressing the context of violence against women identified by the organization. Available information, however, does not indicate what steps have been taken in an official investigation.

Independent documentation plays an important role in recording cases that might otherwise remain outside public discussion. For those counts to help explain the scale of the problem, however, their criteria must also be stated and categories must not be confused. Here, the available data describe Alas Tensas's classification method, not a state statistic.

Fajardo's killing leaves questions the released information does not answer: what the investigation will find, what her relatives will be able to learn and what protective measures are available to women at risk. There is no basis here for assessing the coverage or effectiveness of those measures or attributing the crime to a specific cause beyond what was reported.

The call for clarification does not replace an investigation or anticipate its conclusions. Until more information is available, the count should be read with two cautions: the figure of 60 belongs to the Alas Tensas registry, and case details are known through what that organization communicated. Confirming progress, official criteria and protective responses remains necessary to complete the picture.