Cuba: Religious Freedom

This briefing outlines continued deterioration of religious freedom in Cuba in 2011 as the state cracked down on religious leaders who rejected government interference in their churches and the Communist Party continued to exert control over religious bodies through the Office for Religious Affairs.

Executive summary

Over the course of 2011 relations between the Cuban Government and religious groups continued to shift within the larger context of change on the island, as the government began the implementation of significant economic reforms. Unfortunately, there was no indication of plans to pursue any parallel social reforms; rather the authorities cracked down harshly on increasingly active civil society groups, which include pro-democracy and human rights activists, across the island. These more repressive tactics had a direct impact on religious freedom, as the government ratcheted up pressure on religious leaders and groups to bar those involved in independent civil society, including those linked only by family ties, from participation in religious activities.

The government seems particularly concerned by the relationship between human rights and pro-democracy activists and their communities of faith. Multiple members of the Ladies in White in different parts of the country repeatedly reported being prevented by force from attending mass. A number of members of other independent civil society groups, the majority Catholic, also reported similar violations of their right to worship. Catholic priests and lay leaders reported consistent pressure from the authorities to marginalise these individuals as much as possible.

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