A Protestant pastor was released under ‘precautionary measures’ after spending over three months in detention in Havana, Cuba on 11 September.
Pastor Alexis Padrón Lorenzo, the 58-year-old leader of the Communion in Faith Church in Regla Municipality, La Habana Province, was detained on 10 June after he was accused of public disorder for confronting government officials whom he believed were providing misleading information to the public about prolonged interruptions to basic services in the area.
Cuba has experienced extended power cuts across the island since last year and is experiencing major shortages of food, medicine and other basic items.
The pastor, who suffers from rheumatoid arthritis, was subsequently transferred to the El Vivac Detention Centre in Havana, and was held incommunicado for the duration of his imprisonment.
Following his release on 11 September, Pastor Padrón Lorenzo described the conditions of his detention as ‘very difficult’, saying that the food was almost impossible to eat and was sometimes spoiled. ‘Being separated from my family was especially painful,’ he added. ‘I suffered a lot there.’
The pastor reaffirmed that his statements were an expression of indignation at the crisis in basic services affecting the Cuban population, maintaining that they were not directed at any particular person: ‘What I shouted out loud there did not mention any names and was not directed at anyone in particular, but at a government structure.’
The authorities have ordered the pastor to report and sign in with them twice weekly, on Fridays and Sundays, while he awaits trial. He continues to reject the accusations against him, which have not been dropped, whilst acknowledging that he expressed his indignation loudly and ended his remarks with the phrase ‘down with the dictatorship’.
CSW’s Director of Advocacy and Americas Team Leader Anna Lee Stangl said: ‘CSW welcomes the release of Pastor Alexis Padrón Lorenzo, though he should never have been detained in the first place, and the conditions imposed on him since are unjust and unnecessary. Freedom of expression is a fundamental right and no one should be detained or imprisoned for peacefully speaking up for their community. We therefore call for the pastor’s full and immediate acquittal.’