Social media platforms such as Facebook are a great way for us to stay connected to the people we care about, enabling us to share messages and photos quickly and easily. It’s especially been a lifeline for many who would otherwise be feeling even more cut off during the COVID-19 pandemic.

But in Cuba, social media has a darker side. State security uses the internet to monitor closely anyone who dares to speak out about the government’s human rights abuses. Fake social media accounts are often used to spread lies and disinformation about courageous activists and religious leaders.

‘I committed no crime; it had to be manufactured’

One of the worst examples is a series of articles posted on a blog believed to be run by Cuban state security. These articles focus on Reverend Alain Toledano Valiente, a national leader of the Apostolic Movement, a network of independent churches.

The articles are salacious and sensationalistic – accusing Alain of domestic violence, of rape, of embezzlement – all completely invented claims. Even more disturbingly, many of the articles also target his daughters, some of whom are minors, with truly distasteful accusations.

These articles emerged around the same time he found himself regulado, barred from leaving Cuba, and was repeatedly summoned by Cuban police – over 17 times in a one-month period in 2019 – for interrogations. The purpose seems to be to attack the pastor on all fronts – severely restricting his ability to travel, threatening him with criminal charges and the possibility of imprisonment, while simultaneously attempting to destroy his reputation as a religious and moral leader. And of course, the attacks on his daughters and family have caused them anxiety and stress. ‘In Cuba, pastors are more at risk than criminals,’ Alain told us. ‘I committed no crime; it had to be manufactured… They want me to stop being a pastor.’

And social media isn’t the only way the government oppresses faith communities.

‘So that you learn that illegal churches in Cuba are not allowed’

On 12 January this year, Pastor Karel Parra Rosabal was at home when the police arrived. After searching the house, they arrested him on charges of ‘hoarding’ – having tools for his bicycle repair workshop without proof of purchase. They also confiscated the tools.

As is common in Cuba, the pastor earns a supplementary income by running a small business, a legally registered bicycle repair workshop. All the items he was accused of ‘hoarding’ were acquired legally, and he produced proofs of purchase.

Although he was falsely accused of ‘hoarding’, police told him he was being arrested ‘so that you learn that illegal churches in Cuba are not allowed.’ The government has refused to allow Apostolic Movement churches such as his to register, effectively rendering them illegal.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, accusations of ‘hoarding’ have on occasion been used by the authorities to target religious leaders, many of whom are providing food and other provisions to those in need in their local communities. This is just one of the ways the Cuban government has exploited the pandemic to intensify its harassment of faith communities. 

Pastor Parra Rosabal was eventually released after ten days in detention; however, his tools were not returned to him, meaning he may struggle to provide for his family.

A changing landscape

When CSW began working on freedom of religion or belief in Cuba 20 years ago, it would have been hard to imagine today’s landscape in terms of the flow of information in and out of the island. Back then, we largely relied on contraband, handwritten letters smuggled on and off the island, and the occasional badly connected phone call or recording.

Today most Cubans are connected to the outside world in some way, whether through a smartphone sent to them by a friend or family member, which enables them to use messaging apps like WhatsApp; or through internet access, albeit painfully slow at times, which facilitates the use of email and Facebook.

So the next time you use the internet or social media, take a moment to pray for those in Cuba for whom access to the outside world is a double-edged sword.

What are we doing about this?

As we continue to receive information from partners on the island, and where victims of FoRB violations permit us, we share their stories. We hold events (often online) raising awareness of the situation with decision makers, such as the UN Human Rights Council. We then make specific recommendations for how these decision makers can influence the situation - such as by raising prisoners’ cases with the Cuban authorities, so that they know that the world is watching.

>> Keep lifting Cuba to God in prayer.