Cuba charges independent Church leaders

A church leader from a fast growing independent Church movement in Cuba is being accused of criminal activity by the Government just one month after a Pastor from the same group was sentenced to six years in prison.

This follows the recent detention at least sixty pastors and leaders in May and June.

Alexi Perez has been in prison for over a month accused of illicit economic activity. Although the original charges against him have been dropped, he now faces a new charge of illegally receiving construction materials.

Observers note this new charge is the same as that reportedly made against a prominent human rights activist; Dr. Darsi Ferrer Ramirez.

Alexi Perez oversees a group of around 100 church members (out of a total of 800), at the Apostolic Evangelical Church in San Jose de las Lajas in Havana Province.

In July, Pastor Omar Gude Perez, again from the Apostolic Movement, was sentenced to six years in prison. He had spent fourteen months in jail without trial prior to sentencing, and the charges against him had been changed on two occasions.

Around sixty other pastors and leaders from the Apostolic Movement have reported being temporarily detained and threatened on charges of “social dangerousness” in two sweeps between May and June this year.

Pastor Bernardo de Quesada Salomon and his wife Damaris Marin were both detained on 19 May.

CSW’s Advocacy Director, Alexa Papadouris said: “The imprisonment of Alexi Perez appears to be part of a pattern of government repression of churches associated with the Apostolic Movement. We call on the Cuban government to immediately release Alexi Perez and Omar Gude Perez, and to cease their harassment of the Apostolic Movement.

We also call on the international community, in particular the European Union, to remind the Cuban government of its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to push them to ratify this treaty, and to ensure that the rights guaranteed in the treaty, including religious freedom, are upheld and respected.”

Notes to Editors:

The Apostolic Movement is a network of self-governed, independent churches and ministries adhering to similar doctrine across Cuba and around the world. They consider themselves to be Charismatic Evangelicals and insist that they have no political agenda. Their independence and lack of centralized structure is likely to be one of the core reasons behind the Cuban government’s suspicion and treatment of those associated with the group.

Alexi Perez is being held in the Departamento de Investigaciones at calle 100 y Aldavoz in Havana.

Alexi Perez acts as the driver for Pastor Mario Alvarez, the leader of his church. Perez has reportedly been put under pressure to implicate Pastor Alvarez, who has been under intense pressure from the authorities since 2007. At the time of Perez’s imprisonment, Pastor Alvarez received official notice that the government was also beginning eviction proceedings against him.