Cuba records 55 femicides in 2026 following murder of mother of four daughters in Camagüey
Rachel García González, aged 27, was murdered on 28 September in Vertientes, Camagüey, by her partner. The crime brings the total of verified femicides in Cuba during 2026 to 55.
Mother of four girls murdered in Vertientes brings femicide toll in Cuba to 55
Rachel García González, a Cuban woman aged 27 and mother of four school-age daughters, was murdered on Sunday 28 September at her home in the municipality of Vertientes, Camagüey. Her partner was identified as responsible for the crime, according to confirmation from the Gender Observatory of Alas Tensas (OGAT), cited by cibercuba.com.
The incident occurred in the La Iglesia neighbourhood in the Los Ángeles community. With this case, the number of verified femicides in Cuba during 2026 rose to 55, as of 30 September, according to the independent organisation's records. García González worked as a domestic employee and left four daughters, including two twins. None of the minors were children of the man identified as the aggressor, OGAT specified.
Neighbours in the community told the observatory that the couple had had arguments in the days prior to the crime. The home where the murder occurred had been recently built by the man himself, who was detained after the incident. "Our condolences reach his four young daughters who survive him, with no relation to the alleged aggressor, other family members and close persons, who mourn his premature and preventable loss," OGAT stated.
Three cases in less than two weeks in September
The case of García González occurred just three days after the murder of Diddianys Barreto Palmero, aged 34, recorded in Ceballos, Ciego de Ávila. Independent feminist platforms reported that Barreto was allegedly murdered by her ex-partner, who subsequently took his own life. The victim left two young daughters.
Also documented in September is the case of Yusinay Capetillo Martínez, aged 41, murdered on 19 September in Santos Suárez, Havana, during a blackout. Independent observatories attributed the crime to her ex-son-in-law and recorded it as the 53rd verified femicide in Cuba so far in 2026.
Figures exceeding the entire previous year
The pace of cases has been particularly pronounced this year. Cuba reached 50 verified femicides in the first days of September. In the first nine months of 2026, the number already exceeded the 49 femicides documented throughout the entirety of 2025, according to OGAT's records.
In addition to the 55 verified femicides, the organisation reports 27 attempted femicides and two murders of men in contexts of femicidal violence. OGAT is keeping under investigation 12 possible femicides and 11 attempts reported during the year that have not yet been verified.
Penal Code without autonomous femicide classification
The Cuban Penal Code of 2022 does not classify femicide as an autonomous crime, despite demands from activists and independent organisations that it be specifically recognised in legislation. The Cuban government maintains that it applies a "zero tolerance" policy towards gender-based violence.
However, independent observatories have called for years for greater transparency in official statistics, effective prevention and protection mechanisms for women at risk, and comprehensive legislation against gender-based violence. Faced with difficulties in documenting cases within the island, OGAT maintains an anonymous form available for reporting possible femicides, with the aim of receiving information that can be investigated and verified.
Source: Google News CU — Crime