Latin America – FoRB in Full

Voces de Cuba: Yoel Suárez

Posted on 10/08/202010/08/2020 by cswpress in Cuba, español, Latin America

El 5 de febrero de 2020, Yoel Suárez fue citado a la estación de policía de Siboney en La Habana donde fue interrogado durante tres horas por un agente de seguridad del estado que le informó que sería declarado ‘regulado.’ La declaración somete al Sr. Suárez a una prohibición indefinida de viajes internacionales, una táctica común de las autoridades cubanas para perjudicar a personas que consideran “políticamente sensibles”.

Como periodista independiente, el Sr. Suárez ha trabajado con medios de comunicación no estatales en Cuba desde 2014 y ha escrito extensamente sobre temas de derechos humanos y libertad de religión o creencias. Como resultado de su trabajo, él y su familia han sido objeto de hostigamiento regular por parte de las autoridades cubanas.

Hoy, hace más de seis meses, el Sr. Suárez continúa bajo la prohibición de viajar, y él y sus familiares han recibido múltiples visitas de agentes de seguridad del estado de Cuba.

LEE MÁS

Voices from Cuba: Yoel Suárez

Posted on 10/08/202010/08/2020 by cswpress in Cuba, Latin America

On 5 February 2020 Yoel Suárez was summoned to Siboney Police Station in Havana where he was interrogated for three hours by a state security agent who informed him that he had been declared ‘regulado.’ The declaration effectively subjects Mr Suárez to an indefinite ban on international travel, and is a common tactic used by the Cuban authorities to target individuals who they deem ‘politically sensitive’.

As an independent journalist, Mr Suárez has worked with non-state media outlets in Cuba since 2014 and has written extensively about human rights and freedom of religion or belief issues. As a result of his work, he and his family have been subjected to regular harassment at the hands of the Cuban authorities.

Today, over six months later, Mr Suárez remains unable to travel, and he and members of his family have received multiple visits from Cuban state security agents.

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Following Biblical mandates carries a high price for religious leaders in Mexico

Posted on 20/04/202020/04/2020 by cswpress in Latin America, Mexico

A religious leader and his colleague are kidnapped from a migrant shelter; they have not been seen or heard from since. Another is assaulted, extorted and threatened at gunpoint. Both provided protection to migrants and asylum seekers trapped on the border. In the same country, religious leaders warn that threats and attacks against them constitute one of the most serious problems facing churches today. Ironically, all this is taking place in what is considered to be one of the most religious countries in the world, Mexico.

The worsening situation for migrants and asylum seekers passing through Mexico has been exacerbated by the implementation of the US’ Migrant Protection Program (MPP) also known as ‘Remain in Mexico’ at the start of 2019.^[1] The policy has made it increasingly difficult for migrants to win asylum cases in the US, only 0.1% of cases have been successful, and many have sought refuge in church-run migrant shelters across Mexico while they wait, especially at the northern border. On 28 February 2020, a US federal appeals court ruled that that the Remain in Mexico policy was illegal.

While many Protestant and Catholic leaders have responded to the rising levels of need in an outworking of their faith by following commands to help the poor,[2] shelter the homeless,[3] and love the foreigner,[4] their work makes them increasingly exposed to threats and attacks from organised criminal groups who prey on the vulnerable migrant population.

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VIDEO: Religious Freedom in Cuba: The lived reality

Posted on 30/03/202002/04/2020 by cswpress in Cuba, FoRB on the Frontlines, Latin America

Marilín Alayo Correa is a Cuban pastor and a leader within the Apostolic Movement. Marilín is also married to Apostle Alain Toledano Valiente, who is one of the key leaders in the Apostolic Movement. As a result of their work, both Marilín and her husband have been extensively targeted by the Cuban authorities for over two decades.

Most recently, Marilín shared a video testimony with CSW reflecting on her family’s story and the situation for religious groups in Cuba nearly 15 years after CSW began documenting the family’s case. In the past year, her husband Alain has also been placed on a travel restriction list and is regularly summoned to appear at their local police station.

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FoRB on the Frontlines: “Everyone’s hatred was ever present”

Posted on 18/11/201918/11/2019 by cswpress in Cuba, FoRB on the Frontlines, Latin America

In several Latin American countries, religious leaders often take on the roles of community leader and human rights defender. As a result, these leaders often face harassment, intimidation and even violence at the hands of state and non-state actors. Over the past few weeks CSW has been presenting interviews with religious leaders working in the region to highlight their experiences on the frontlines of freedom of religion or belief.

Yilber is a Protestant pastor based in Cuba.

“I have received so many threats in my life as a Christian that there are, honestly, too many to count. This is something I want to describe, and to do this I won’t rely on generalisations or abstract, subjective examples, I will expose the scars borne by my family ever since we left our town to do pastoral work.

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