Marco Rubio, Secretary of State

The State Department is designating four Cuban regime officials for a gross violation of human rights, namely the arbitrary detention of Luis Robles Elizástigui.   Judges and prosecutors who are agents of the regime, not of an independent judiciary, play a critical role in these arbitrary detentions and prosecutions.  They are responsible for the sham legal processes that unjustly target, convict, and sentence individuals for peaceful expressions and activism. This applies equally to the re-arrest of political prisoners who are returned to jail on frivolous grounds, like José Daniel Ferrer and Félix Navarro.

The Department is designating prosecutor Yanaisa Matos Legrá and judges Gladys Maria Padrón Canals, Maria Elena Fornari Conde, and Juan Sosa Orama.  As a result, these regime officials and their families are ineligible for entry into the United States.  All four work at the People’s Provincial Court of Havana, where they oversaw the prosecution, conviction, and sentencing of Robles Elizástigui on behalf of the regime.

These designations are further proof that the Trump Administration is committed to holding accountable Cuban regime officials involved in violating human rights.  We continue to use all available tools to stand up for the human rights of the Cuban people and encourage our allies and partners to do the same.

These designations are made under Section 7031(c) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2024 (Div. F, P.L. 118-47), as carried forward by the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2025 (Div. A, P.L. 119-4). For more information, please contact WHA-PDA-Press@state.gov.