Humanitarian and religious rights crisis in Cuba

The situation in Cuba is characterized by a deepening humanitarian crisis and increasing pressure on religious groups and citizens. The Episcopal Church in Cuba has issued a pastoral letter expressing “deep dissatisfaction” with the scarcity of basic goods, the deterioration of healthcare and education, frequent power outages, and the lack of water and medicine.

Religious leaders have also denounced the use of violence, intimidation, and police harassment against citizens. This includes the sentencing of content creator Anna Sofía Benítez and her mother to two years of liberty limitation following the distribution of a video involving a police officer.

Further reports indicate escalating harassment against unregistered evangelical pastors in Las Tunas. Leaders Mario Jorge Travieso Medina and Velmis Adriana Mariño González have reportedly faced surveillance, interrogations, detentions, and the demolition of property. They have also been subjected to travel restrictions and social media smear campaigns, which the Unregistered Cuban Churches Alliance (AICNOR) claims are punitive responses to their religious ministry and food assistance efforts.