Church demolitions in Cuba have increased over the first half of 2016 thanks to an ongoing government crackdown which is also resulting in the confiscation of Assemblies of God churches, according to a new report from Christian Solidarity Worldwide.
The UK-based religious freedom advocacy’s report details more than 1,600 violations of religious freedom between January and July this year, including the demolition and confiscation of church buildings, destruction of church property, arbitrary detention and other forms of harassment including the seizure of the belongings of religious leaders.
The report added that the Cuban Government has also begun to confiscate some 1,400 Assemblies of God churches that were earmarked for seizure last year. Of these, 100 are under the threat of demolition.
“In line with previous years, these religious freedom violations are predominantly carried out by Cuban government officials and the Office of Religious Affairs (the ORA) and take place in many regions throughout the island,” the report noted.
Mervyn Thomas, CSW’s chief executive, said the organisation was “alarmed” by the escalation in religious freedom violations, “but humbled and inspired by the courage and perseverance of the many religious communities who continue to peacefully resist government pressure”.
“We remain disappointed by the broken promises for reform on the part of the Cuban government and urge it to change course,” he added. “We call on the international community and in particular the United Kingdom, European Union and the United States government to stand in solidarity with Cuban citizens by pressing the Cuban government to halt these repressive actions and ensuring that human rights, and in particular FoRB, remains a core component of any upcoming dialogues with the Cuban government.”
