Government denies Muslim woman opportunity to seek medical treatment for life-threatening conditions

The Cuban government has denied a Muslim woman the right to seek potentially lifesaving treatment abroad, in a move that she believes is linked to her affiliation to an unregistered religious association. Yusdeylin Mercedes Olivera Nuñez, 36, suffers from Spinal Muscular Atrophy and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Ms Olivera Nuñez’s religious community has assisted her in securing free medical treatment at the Jackson Memorial Hospital in Florida, United States, which would cover the costs of treatment unavailable in Cuba that would significantly improve her quality of life. Ms Olivera Nuñez believes the government’s actions are due to her affiliation with an unregistered religious association.

Ms Olivera Nuñez was first targeted by the Cuban authorities in 2015 after leaving the Islamic League of Cuba, the only officially registered Muslim association, for the unregistered Cuban Association for the Dissemination of Islam (CADI). Soon after, Ms Olivera Nuñez was sentenced to five years of restricted liberty. According to her lawyers, the charges were fabricated in retaliation for joining CADI.

On 10 February 2021, the Ministry of Public Health failed to submit Ms Olivera Nuñez’s medical history to the Artemisa Provincial Tribunal, effectively blocking the procedure to waive her remaining sentence, which would then allow her to seek a humanitarian visa to travel to the US for treatment. This is the eighth time that the Ministry of Public Health has failed to share Ms Olivera Nuñez’s medical records with the Artemisa authorities.

The Cuban authorities also requisitioned an electric wheelchair from Ms Olivera Nuñez in June 2019, which was donated to her from a Muslim contact from Canada.

CSW’s Head of Advocacy Anna Lee Stangl said: “Time is running out for Yusdeylin, who is bedridden and currently has pneumonia. She lives with her 82-year-old grandmother who is in poor health as well. Yusdeylin is unable to receive medical attention in Cuba yet is being denied the opportunity to seek treatment outside the country for life threatening medical conditions. Her case is a clear example of the potentially deadly consequences of the Cuban government’s discriminatory policies against members of unregistered religious groups. We call on the Cuban government to clear her to travel immediately.”

Note to editors:

1.All religious groups in Cuba must be legally registered. Currently, religious groups and associations come under the oversight of the Office of Religious Affairs (ORA), which operates out of the Ministry of Justice but is a part of the Central Committee of the Cuban Communist Party.