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Cuban pastor accused of disobedience – October 3rd 2019

Christian Solidarity Worldwide, 27 Sep 2019

Toledano Valiente, a prominent Christian leader in Cuba, was summoned to a police station on 25 September. He has received at least 17 police summons since 1 August.

A Commander ‘Lorenzo’ told him he was accused of ‘disobedience’ because of a women’s event held in his church. He had previously warned Valiente he would risk imprisonment if his church staged it. Despite the threat, the church went ahead with the event.

A formal accusation was lodged against him, but the authorities refused to give him a copy of the document.

He told CSW: “Pastors are more at risk than criminals and bandits … since I have not fled into exile, they seek to put me in prison. I committed no crime, it had to be manufactured. I cannot carry out any religious activity; that is to say they want me to stop being a pastor.”

In July, Toledano Valiente was prevented by government agents from boarding a flight to the US to attend the US Ministerial on International Religious Freedom.

CSW have called on the Cuban government to remind the country of its obligations in regard to the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion as laid out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”