More than 300,000 people have fled Cuba since the government crackdown following nationwide peaceful protests on 11 July 2021. This is the biggest wave of emigration in Cuba’s history.

Many of them are religious leaders, journalists, human rights defenders and others who had no choice but to leave the island under intense pressure from the government. The vast majority are ordinary Cubans who, following the 11 July crackdown and the imposition of even harsher legislation, see no future for themselves in Cuba.

Pastor Enrique de Jesús Fundora

In 2017, at 26 years old, Pastor Fundora began a ministry with his wife, Maidelis Mesa. They called it God Shakes Cuba and the Nations. As part of an unrecognised network which the government refuses to register, they immediately became a target and Pastor Fundora lost his job as a chef.

You may recognise this as a similar experience to that of Pastor Alaín Toledano Valiente and his church. He is another religious leader who was forced into exile last year, following two decades of intense harassment, which culminated in an ultimatum: prison or exile.

The targeting of Pastor Fundora escalated after 11 July 2021. He had opened some houses of prayer to provide comfort for those whose relatives had been imprisoned for their involvement in the protests. Because of this, he was summoned and interrogated by State Security in January 2022.

‘Despite this, the prayer groups continued to grow.'

From then on, Pastor Fundora received constant threats, harassment and surveillance. He often had to climb over walls to evade the police, or hide with members of the houses of prayer. Unable to arrest him, the police targeted the owners of the houses instead – yet the prayer groups continued to grow and multiply.

Police went on to accuse Maidelis of being an accomplice to her ‘counterrevolutionary’ husband. They raided the family home on 25 January, and threatened to prosecute her – saying that, when she went to prison, the couple would lose custody of their young daughter to the State.

A possible 30 years in prison

Pastor Fundora was eventually captured in a police ambush on 1 March 2022. After a prolonged interrogation, he was given eight days to leave the island or, like Pastor Toledano Valiente, face a 30-year prison sentence.

Faced with no other option, he decided to flee to Switzerland where he received asylum on his own. Thanks to the support of the local Latino Christian community, his wife and daughter were able to join him a few weeks later.

The couple continue to work for freedom of religion or belief in Cuba, even from beyond its borders. Their proximity to Geneva has enabled them to attend the United Nations Human Rights Council several times, to share the reality of human rights in Cuba.

‘Exile does not always mean freedom.'

Their actions are admirable and courageous, especially since exile does not always mean freedom. One defender of freedom of religion or belief told us that the trauma of round-the-clock harassment over a period of six months continues to affect him and his family, to the point that he does not want to associate with any other Cubans, even in exile, for fear of that they might be a spy.

This is a common feeling among exiled Cubans, and not without reason. State Security agents actively infiltrate exile communities, monitoring, harassing and informing the Cuban government of the activities of exiles in their new countries of asylum.

How are we responding?

Despite all of our documenters being forced into exile over the course of last year, we have seen new individuals courageously step forward to stand in the gap. Together we recorded 657 cases of freedom of religion or belief in 2022. This is more than double the 292 we documented in 2021.

The number of violations is staggering. Yet we take some reassurance that each number represents another situation of injustice which has been brought to light, which may otherwise have remained in the dark.

We know there are many more violations to be uncovered and Cubans in need of solidarity, so we thank you for your continued support and prayers, specifically for the documenters who have taken up the work of investigating and exposing injustice.

With your help, we can continue standing alongside Cubans who are under pressure because of their religion or belief; listening to their experiences; recording and verifying the details; sharing them with the world; and calling for action.

Send hope

Cuba is currently the biggest section in Connect & Encourage, with 24 addresses of people who remain on the island. Some have loved ones in prison or are in prison themselves. 

Write to someone in need of hope: csw.org.uk/ConnectEncourage