That's less than the average elevator. Physically impossible to fit 40 persons on that small an area. No doubt a Cuban prison is hell on earth, but this type of reporting shows yet again that the media are utterly stupid and worthless these days. Never ever believe a single word these idiots write. (Waiting for someone to post a pic of a "stuffed" phone booth or VW bug...:-))
it also said that was the equivalent of 32 square feet, so they obviously meant a room with dimensions of 3 meters x 3 meters