It is the seventh time that the European Parliament has made this request in the past five years, and it received 374 votes in favor, 198 against and 19 abstentions.
EP/14ymedio, Madrid, September 17, 2026 – The European Parliament called on the European Council this Thursday to suspend the implementation of the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement that structures relations between the European Union and Cuba, citing “systematic violations” of Human Rights by the Island’s authorities against political prisoners and their relatives.
The resolution, approved by the European Parliament with 374 votes in favor, 198 against and 19 abstentions, focuses on the case of 72-year-old Félix Navarro and his daughter Saylí Navarro – co-founder of the Ladies in White, awarded the Sakharov Prize in 2005 – who were detained in 2021 and subsequently sentenced to nine and eight years in prison, respectively.
This week, the Cuba Siglo 21 platform and its management committee of former political prisoners formally proposed the candidacy of both for the Sakharov Prize.
Members of the European Parliament denounced “the absence of fair trials, the use of torture during detentions and the systematic use of forced exile as a condition for the release of opponents,” while expressing concern over Navarro’s deteriorating health and calling for his release, along with that of “all other political prisoners.”
The resolution focuses on the case of 72-year-old Félix Navarro and his daughter Saylí Navarro
“In the absence of concrete and verifiable steps by the regime toward multiparty democracy, Parliament reiterates its call for the immediate suspension of the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement and for sanctions to be imposed on those responsible for repression in Cuba, beginning with President Miguel Díaz-Canel,” the resolution states.
The document approved by the European Parliament notes that Cuba keeps “1,339 political prisoners” in jail, including 38 minors. The text also points out that among these people are 463 who suffer from “serious physical illnesses” and 54 who “suffer from serious mental disorders,” despite which they “do not receive adequate medical care.”
In the past five years, the European Parliament has voted on at least seven resolutions of this kind, the most recent last June. However, these acts are legally non-binding, since the authority to make the decision rests with the Council, through a complex procedure that must be initiated by the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy or by the European Commission.
The resolutions, however, have a symbolic character, and their pressure could ultimately motivate action by the executive bodies, although to date this has not happened.
Translated by Regina Anavy
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