Mazorra, Cuba

The photo-essay “Mazorra” was born from a haunting curiosity, always sparked by the imposing slogan that stood guard at the entrance to Havana’s Psychiatric Hospital. This facility, popularly known by the name of the estate on whose grounds it was built, “Mazorra” bore the ironic motto, “Healthy body, healthy mind.” Every time I passed by on my way to the international airport, the slogan struck me as a painful contradiction to the rumors I had heard about the place. As a government institution in Cuba, the hospital’s inner workings were impenetrable, with the truth of its operations known only to a select few.

A good friend secured me a rare one-day pass, allowing me to enter the hospital in the morning with the expectation of leaving by day’s end. But the reality I encountered within those walls was so profoundly unsettling that my perspective completely shifted. I knew a single day was not enough. I decided to elude the security assigned to me and stay the night. I felt compelled to capture the true reality—the human suffering and neglect—that was otherwise hidden from the world.

The further I explored, the more I confirmed the reports I had read from non-governmental organizations, claims the government had vehemently denied. What I saw was not a hospital, but a tragic nexus of extreme neglect and overwhelming overcrowding, fueled by a deep-seated corruption. I learned that the deaths of dozens of patients were directly tied to starvation, a lack of heating during a critical cold front, and the cruel theft of vital food and medical supplies by those meant to care for them

I had been told that the asylum’s dark reputation was rooted in more than just its deplorable physical conditions; it was also allegedly used as a tool for political control. I had always dismissed this claim as an exaggeration. But after my time inside Mazorra, that disbelief was shattered. The truth, I discovered was a cruel reality that surpassed all the rumors.

The Cuban government has systematically used psychiatry for political purposes, confining mentally sane individuals who are considered a threat to state security in psychiatric institutions.  Medical professionals, acting under orders from the state security apparatus, administer and oversee these abuses. These abuses, which have lasting psychological effects on victims, include the use of psychotropic drugs and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) to punish, demoralize, coerce, and terrorize.  The hospital, which has a large number of patients, is known for poor conditions, ill-treatment, and widespread corruption. In one reported incident, more than two dozen patients died from thermal exposure during a cold snap because the facility had missing windows and the malnourished patients had no blankets. Staff were reportedly instructed to remain silent about the incident, but human rights defenders brought it to public attention. Photos smuggled from a morgue showed the extreme malnourishment and signs of physical abuse on the victims. Victims have reported being subjected to unnecessary electroconvulsive therapy without anesthesia or muscle relaxants.

Many of the victims were political dissidents, including students, writers, teachers, and artists.  – Their alleged infractions included writing anti-government graffiti, attempting to leave the country, and chanting anti-regime slogans.

The use of psychotropic drugs also reportedly occurs outside of psychiatric facilities, including in prisons. A government ministry division is said to control drug trafficking in prisons and use it to manage informants.

Abuses at Mazorra are said to continue.