Christian leaders condemn Cuban gov’t for violations of religious freedom
Christian leaders across Cuba have condemned the government for its continued violations of religious freedom, issuing a joint statement decrying the fines imposed on religious leaders and restrictions on worship. The Alliance of Christians of Cuba stated that government actions are obstructing religious groups’ ability to provide humanitarian aid amid a worsening national crisis.
The ACC, an independent network of religious leaders formed in 2022, released a declaration last week, criticizing the Cuban government for refusing to legalize unregistered places of worship and imposing harsh fines on religious leaders, reported the U.K.-based group Christian Solidarity Worldwide.
The declaration, signed by 63 religious leaders, described the government’s measures as a direct attack on freedom of worship.
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“We observe with dismay that the Cuban state refuses to open spaces for the exercise of fundamental rights such as freedom of association,” the statement read. “This limits churches’ ability to provide support and social aid to those most in need.”
According to the declaration, the government has collected over 1 million Cuban Pesos, or roughly $42,000, in fines from religious leaders, an action described as punitive for those seeking to aid their communities.
CSW says it has documented at least 69 incidents since January in which religious leaders, including Christian and Afro-Cuban leaders from both registered and unregistered groups, were targeted with fines across 11 provinces.
In one case from June, the leader of an unregistered Christian group in Matanzas was fined 20,000 CUP, or $850, for refusing to vacate the property where religious services were held. Despite possessing legal documents proving ownership, the group was denied official permission to meet there.
In another case, leaders of two registered Christian groups in Camagüey and Holguín were fined 15,000 CUP, or $650, and 50,000 CUP, or $2,100, respectively, for carrying out renovations without authorization.
The fines come at a time when Cuba is grappling with severe economic hardship, coupled with natural disasters and repeated power grid failures.
“Cuba is experiencing a crisis unlike anything it has seen in decades,” said Anna Lee Stangl, co-director of advocacy for CSW. “Instead of opening space to independent civil society, including religious groups, to allow them to provide much needed humanitarian aid to the wider community, the government under President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez is tightening restrictions on all freedoms.”
Stangl added that CSW stands with the ACC in urging the Cuban government to uphold fundamental human rights, including the right to freedom of religion or belief as guaranteed under Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The intensified crackdown on religious freedom in Cuba follows the protests of July 2021, when thousands of Cubans demonstrated against the government’s handling of economic and political issues.
A previous report by CSW documented 622 religious freedom violations in 2023, compared to 657 cases in 2022 and 272 in 2021, indicating a sustained level of repression.
The report identified tactics such as surveillance, interrogation and threats aimed at religious leaders and their congregations, particularly those supporting families of political prisoners or providing humanitarian assistance.
Leaders of unregistered groups faced constant harassment and threats, while children of religious families were subjected to verbal abuse in schools due to their beliefs.
“Those considered by the government to be dissidents were repeatedly and systematically blocked from attending religious services, usually through short-term arbitrary detention,” the report said.
Among those most affected are members of the Ladies in White, a group founded by wives and mothers of political prisoners. They are routinely fined and arbitrarily detained to prevent them from attending church services on Sundays.
CSW noted that religious leaders providing humanitarian aid or support to political prisoners’ families often saw their assistance confiscated by authorities.
“I told them that I belong to a Christian, not a counter-revolutionary church. I am a believer in God and a follower of Christ,” one unnamed religious leader told CSW researchers. “I told them that they can do with me whatever they want, but I will not stop attending church.”
The Cuban government established the Department for Attention to Religious Institutions and Fraternal Groups in 2022, but religious leaders told CSW that the Office of Religious Affairs of the Central Committee of the Cuban Communist Party remains the primary authority, maintaining an antagonistic stance toward religious groups.
The U.S. State Department has designated Cuba as a “country of particular concern” for religious freedom, placing it alongside nations like China, Iran and North Korea as one of the worst offenders of human rights.
