Violations of religious freedom in Cuba continued to rise in 2014 despite a few concessions to the Catholic Church, according to a report by the ecumenical charity Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW).
The charity said that over the course of the year it detailed 220 separate violations ranging from harassment and fines to confiscation and destruction of church property.
Week after week, scores of women affiliated with the Ladies in White dissident group, most of whom are Catholic, were violently dragged away by state security agents to stop them from attending Sunday morning Mass. Many were beaten in the process and most were arbitrarily detained until after the conclusion of religious services, the charity said.
CSW also received regular reports of severe harassment and sporadic reports of arrests of violent beatings of Protestant pastors and lay leaders in different parts of the country.
Although the Government gave permission to construct two new Catholic churches in Santiago de Cuba and in Pinar del Rio, other denominations reported continued threats of confiscation or destruction of their property.
And the charity was told that in 2014 the historic Franciscan monastery in Guanabacoa shut its doors after waiting years for government permission to carry out necessary repairs. Most of the monks, whose order has been present in Cuba for centuries, will be leaving Cuba as a result, with only four remaining in the country.
CSW’s Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas said religious freedom violations had been rising for the last five years. “Government promises of reform have not been reflected in the reality on the ground in Cuba,” he said.
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