CSW has today published a new report on the situation of freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) in Cuba which finds that the Cuban government extended its repression ‘in almost every area’ in 2024, as it continues to exert control over the population in a crackdown that has been ongoing since 2021.
The report, titled ‘No Respite: The Systematic Suppression of Freedom of Religion or Belief in Cuba’, states that CSW documented 624 separate cases involving violations of FoRB in 2024, almost all of which involved multiple types of violations.
It finds that religious groups of all types, including Afro-Cuban groups, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Protestants, Roman Catholics and registered and unregistered associations, continue to be affected by violations including arbitrary detention, intrusive surveillance, repeat interrogations, threats, harassment, and, in the case of some children, physical and verbal abuse at school because of their religious beliefs.
The report also highlights an uptick in the application of fines on religious leaders in 2024, generally for leading unauthorised religious activities, holding religious activities in locations not approved for religious use, or both. Religious leaders and congregations who attempted to respond to humanitarian needs, which became even more acute in many parts of the island in 2024, were also harassed and fined.
The government also continued to systematically the Nelson Mandela Rules (the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners) by consistently denying political prisoners the right to receive religious materials and religious visits. Religious leaders were also threatened and pressured to expel the family members of political prisoners from their congregations as part of a policy of social isolation.
The report concludes: ‘It is now even more vital that governments around the world, and especially Cuba’s friends and neighbours in Latin America, emphatically voice concerns about Cuba’s consistent violations of human rights, including FoRB, and seek ways to support independent civil society in Cuba, including religious groups… Ultimately, the future of Cuba lies with its people; those around the world who believe in the principles of democracy and fundamental human rights must stand with them in their peaceful pursuit of political and social change.’
CSW’s Director of Advocacy Anna Lee Stangl said: ‘CSW remains immensely inspired by those in Cuba who continue to stand up and speak out for freedom of religion or belief and other fundamental human rights, often at great risk to their own freedom and wellbeing. We stand in solidarity with these individuals, and all those who have been forced into exile on account of their religion or belief, or their peaceful defence of human rights, and call on the international community to do more to hold the Cuban government to account for its severe and ongoing repression of the Cuban people.’
In a separate development, Assemblies of God Pastor Luis Guillermo Borjas, who is currently facing charges of disrespect and disobeying the authorities alongside his wife Roxana Rojas, also a pastor, was released on bail on 24 May. Pastors Borjas and Rojas were detained on 19 May after referencing their religious beliefs in a military tribunal at which their son was being tried on a charge of attempting to evade obligatory military service. Pastor Borjas’ trial is scheduled for 9 June, while Pastor Rojas has been ‘permitted’ to have her legal process and trial take place from home after she was taken to hospital unconscious on the night of her detention.
The pastors’ son, Kevin Laureido Rojas, who has a medical exemption for a psychiatric condition that makes him unable to perform the military service that is required of all Cuban males at the age of 18, remains in a military prison.
Anna Lee Stangl added: ‘CSW continues to call for the complete dismissal of the unjust charges that have been levelled against Pastors Luis Guillermo Borjas and Roxana Rojas, and for the immediate and unconditional release of Kevin Laureido Rojas.’
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