Cuba | May 18, 2022
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There follows a selection of the most important incidents occurring in March 2024:
26 March 2024: Several Catholic parishes in the country did not receive authorization to carry out the traditional Good Friday and Easter processions. Due to fear of reprisals, only some church leaders publicly expressed their disappointment over the restrictions. This government measure mainly affected the areas where protests were held on 17 March. Additionally, in Matanzas, church leaders from other Christian denominations were worried that they might receive the state's refusal moments before or during their announced processions (14yMedio, 26 March 2024).
18 March 2024: José Rodríguez Herrada, is imprisoned in Detachment 5 of the Guamajal Men's Prison in Santa Clara, Villa Clara, for participating in the widespread protests on 11 July 2021. He has now been prevented from participating in the monthly church service in the prison facility (Patmos Institute, 20 March 2024).
17 March 2024: In Santiago de Cuba, El Cobre, Bayamo and Santa Marta, citizens took to the streets to demonstrate against the Communist system under the cry of “Energy and food! (¡Corriente y comida!)”, highlighting the lack of electricity and food available on the island (14yMedio, 18 March 2024).
14 March 2024: The organization Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) reported that in 2023 622 violations of freedom of religion or belief were documented and accused the regime of returning to the use of “hardline” tactics. The report explained that although humanitarian needs have become increasingly acute in many parts of the Island, church leaders and their congregations who attempted to respond with help, were harassed, fined and, in many cases, had their aid confiscated (CSW, 14 March 2024).
1 March 2024: Unknown persons broke into the Church of the Virgin of Charity of Cobre in Vertientes, Camagüey, and stole the offerings, amounting to about 5,000 CUC (approximately 5,000 USD). The incident occurred in the afternoon just days after a training session had taken place there organized by Cáritas Camagüey (affiliated with the Catholic Church). According to local sources, state security agents may have been involved with the aim of intimidating the active church. After the incident, unknown persons also broke into the home of the nuns of the Carmelite Missionaries congregation, not far from the church (Cubanos por el mundo, 2 March 2024).
World Watch Research analyst Rossana Ramirez comments: “The heavily repressive situation in Cuba affects the Church and any dissident voice, be it from attacks on places of worship or the banning of public demonstrations of faith. Violations of religious freedom in the country continue unabated and the population fear retaliation if they speak out against such action by the authorities. The increase in restrictions during the week leading up to Easter only served to make the government's hostility towards the Church more evident and confirm what has been reported by civil society organizations, such as CSW and the Cuban Observatory of Human Rights. The latter recorded 936 state actions against religious freedom in the country during the year 2023 (Observa Cuba, 27 March 2024).”
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