Dear President Díaz-Canel Bermúdez,
We write as an informal group of organizations and individuals who are scholars, religious and secular leaders, human rights advocates and practitioners regarding the proposed changes to protections for freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) and freedom of conscience in Cuba’s new constitution.
We were disappointed to learn that protections for FoRB in the proposed draft constitution approved by the National Assembly in July were weakened and are not in line with international standards on FoRB. We were very concerned that freedom of conscience, which was included in the previous constitution, is completely eliminated from the draft.
Article 55 of the 1992 Constitution of Cuba states that: “The State, which recognises, respects and guarantees freedom of conscience and religion, recognises, respects and guarantees the right of each citizen to change their religious beliefs or not to have any religious beliefs, and to profess, within the respect for the law, the religious worship of their preference. The law regulates the relationship between the State and religious institutions.”
The draft constitution changes this wording to: “The State recognises, respects and guarantees religious freedom… In the Republic of Cuba, religious institutions are separate from the State and all have the same rights and responsibilities…The various beliefs and religions enjoy equal treatment.”
The language in the draft constitution is overly vague and fails to define key phrases, for example, what the ‘rights and responsibilities’ are. Equal treatment is only positive insofar as the treatment upholds FoRB for all and yet there is no provision in the draft constitution for this.
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We believe no one should suffer discrimination, harassment or persecution because of their beliefs