from 1953 to 1955, cuban leader fidel castro was imprisoned in the presidio modelo on the isla de la juventud by the regime of fulgencio batista after leading the failed july 1953 attack on the moncada barracks in the oriente province. later, castro used the same facility to imprison counterrevolutionaries and dissidents, such as huber matos (once a comandante of rebel troops supporting the cuban revolution but later came into conflict with cuban government), who claims to have been tortured there , and armando f. valladares.