On 11 June Donaida Pérez Paseiro travelled to the prison where her husband Loreto Hernández García is currently being held, having been led to believe that he was to be released. Instead, she was warned that if she continued to make public statements critical of the government, she would be re-imprisoned as well. Ms Pérez Paseiro stated her intention to stay there, and was subsequently arrested. 

According to a post on the official Facebook account of the Provincial People’s Court of Villa Clara, a judge responsible for overseeing individuals on conditional release in the Placetas Municipality ordered that Ms Pérez Paseiro be returned to prison for alleged failures to comply with the terms of her release, and declared that she must complete the original prison sentence for the crimes of ‘disrespect’, ‘assault’ and ‘public disorder’. 

Ms Pérez Paseiro and Mr Hernández García, who are both leaders of the Association of Free Yorubas, an Afro-Cuban religious group, were detained on 16 July 2021 as part of a government crackdown on protestors who participated in spontaneous and peaceful demonstrations across the island on 11 July 2021. Ms Pérez Paseiro was later sentenced to eight years in prison, which she is now expected to serve in full. She told CSW that while she was in prison her religious beliefs were ridiculed and she was prohibited from having religious materials, including bracelets and necklaces that are a core part of the Yoruba religious practice.  

Mr Hernández García was not released as part of the mass amnesty in January and continues to serve a seven-year sentence in Guajamal Prison in Villa Clara on charges of disrespect and public disorder. While in prison Mr Hernández García has been subjected to humiliating treatment by prison officials and repeatedly ridiculed because of his religion. He has also reported being beaten. The US Commission on International Religious Freedom considers Mr Hernández García to have been ‘imprisoned for his religious identity, religious activity, and religious leadership role.’ 

CSW’s Director of Advocacy Anna Lee Stangl said: ‘CSW condemns the return to prison of Donaida Pérez Paseiro, who should never have been imprisoned in the first place, and who should at the very least have been permitted to enjoy her freedom without further harassment. We continue to call for her immediate and unconditional release, and for that of her husband Loreto Hernández García, who has been gravely mistreated whilst in prison and has even been denied temporary medical leave despite suffering from diabetes and hypertension.’  

In a separate development, Kevin Laureido Rojas, the 19-year-old son of Protestant Pastors Luis Guillermo Borjas and Roxana Rojas, was sentenced to four years in prison on 9 June. Mr Laureido Rojas, who has diagnosed physical and psychological conditions that should qualify him for a medical exemption, ran away after having been taken by force to perform the military service required of all Cuban males at the age of 18. He is currently being held at the Guayao Maximum Security Prison, one of Cuba's most secure and restrictive prison facilities, in Pinar del Río Province. 

Mr Laureido Rojas’ parents were detained on 19 May after Pastor Borjas mentioned ‘God’s justice’ during their son’s military tribunal. Both have been released on bail, however they continue to face charges of disrespect and disobeying the authorities, and the prosecutor has requested that they be sentenced to eight years in prison. Their trial was meant to take place on 9 June, however this has been postponed indefinitely, with no reason given by the authorities. 

Anna Lee Stangl added: ‘CSW calls on the Cuban authorities to immediately release Kevin Laureido Rojas based on the recommendation of medical professionals, and to acquit him and his parents of the unjust charges levelled against them. The international community must hold Cuba to account for its cruel and flagrant human rights abuses of human rights.’ 

Notes to Editors: 

1. Article 146.1 of Cuba’s Penal Enforcement Law (Law No. 152 of 2022) states that conditional release entails a probationary period equal to the remainder of the sentence remaining to be served. 

2. The Association of Free Yorubas is an unregistered, independent religious group that follows a traditional Afro-Cuban belief system. The group has been targeted by the government because of its independent stance for years. 

3. The charges leveled against Ms Perez Paseiro are similar to those used to imprison hundreds of other political prisoners who participated or supported the peaceful protests of 11 July 2021.