Christian Solidarity Worldwide, November 20, 2024
63 religious leaders have signed a declaration decrying the Cuban government’s systematic violation of freedom of religion or belief, refusing unregistered places of worship to be legalised and applying onerous fines on religious leaders.
The declaration states that, ‘We observe with dismay that the Cuban state refuses to open spaces for the exercise of fundamental rights. This limits churches’ ability to provide support and social aid to those most in need.’ The statement then notes the negative impact on those most in need.
Since 1 January 2024 CSW has documented 69 cases across 11 provinces of religious leaders targeted by government officials with fines. In June, the leader of a Christian group in Matanzas was fined 20,000 CUP for not vacating the location where the group holds religious services. In October, leaders of two registered Christian religious groups were fined 15,000 CUP and 50,000 CUP for authorised renovations to their properties. Ladies in White are also regularly fined to prevent them from attending Sunday church services.
The heavy fines on religious leaders come when Cuba is facing one of its worst economic crises in decades, been hit by a series of hurricanes and tropical storms, experienced an earthquake, and seen its national power grid fail multiple times. An estimated 10% of the population is believed to have fled the country over the past five years.