A generation determined: How Cuba’s Christian influencers have caught the regime off-guard

It is no secret that for 67 years the Cuban people have been oppressed under a deceptive discourse of victory and prosperity, which with each decade has only drifted further from the dream, revealing the true nightmare of the failure and misery of their so-called revolution.

While many in earlier generations accepted the illusory utopia to survive, today’s generation has awakened to the advance of technology, connectivity and the cyber world in a way that not even a dictatorship can contain. And, although failure has been tolerated and its reality evaded for almost seven decades, in just eight years young Cubans have become the protagonists of a new revolution on the island; their only weapons the truth and a mobile phone.

This snowball effect became internationally visible with the San Isidro Movement (MSI), which emerged in September 2018 in response to Decree 349, a law requiring artists to obtain prior permission for public and private exhibitions and performances, meant to control artistic expression. Many of the most prominent critics of that law – such as performance artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara and rapper Maykel Castillo Pérez, better known as Maykel Osorbo – unknowingly paved the way for their future arrests.

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Una generación decidida: Cómo los jóvenes influencers cristianos de Cuba han tomado por sorpresa al régimen.

No es un secreto que durante 67 años el pueblo cubano ha sido oprimido bajo un discurso de victoria y prosperidad que, con cada década, se ha alejado más del sueño, revelando la verdadera pesadilla del fracaso y la miseria de su mal llamada revolución.

Mientras que muchos en generaciones anteriores aceptaron la utopía ilusoria para sobrevivir, la generación actual ha despertado gracias al avance de la tecnología, la conectividad y el mundo digital de una manera que ni siquiera una dictadura puede contener. Y, aunque el fracaso se ha tolerado y su realidad se ha eludido durante casi siete décadas, en tan solo ocho años los jóvenes cubanos se han convertido en protagonistas de una nueva revolución en la isla, cuyas únicas armas son la verdad y un teléfono móvil.

Este efecto bola de nieve se hizo visible internacionalmente con el Movimiento San Isidro (MSI), que surgió en septiembre de 2018 en respuesta al Decreto 349, una ley que obliga a los artistas a obtener permiso previo para exposiciones y presentaciones públicas y privadas, con el fin de controlar la expresión artística. Muchos de los críticos más destacados de esa ley, como el artista visual Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara y el rapero Maykel Castillo Pérez (‘Maykel Osorbo’), allanaron sin saberlo el camino para sus futuras detenciones.

Continue reading “Una generación decidida: Cómo los jóvenes influencers cristianos de Cuba han tomado por sorpresa al régimen.”

A pastor arrested over YouTube videos, a child detained for days, a country in crisis. What is happening in Cuba?

On 15 March Pastor Rolando Pérez Lora was arrested in front his family in a park in Peñas Altas, Matanzas, in northern Cuba, moments after he had finished uploading a Bible teaching video to his YouTube channel.

It is not clear what offence the political police officers who arrested him believed he had committed. Pastor Pérez told CSW that he records and uploads videos in the park, which is one of only two locations in the area with public Wi-Fi, every week. His wife, Gelayne Rodríguez Ávila, joins him and often prays for those who gather to listen and request prayer.

Video footage taken by Mrs Rodríguez depicts her husband being forced into a patrol car by two officers as he protests: ‘You’re mistreating me for no reason. I haven’t done anything wrong.’ The cries of his young children can be heard in the background.

Continue reading “A pastor arrested over YouTube videos, a child detained for days, a country in crisis. What is happening in Cuba?”

Un pastor fue arrestado por videos en YouTube, un niño detenido durante días, un país en crisis. ¿Qué está pasando en Cuba?

El 15 de marzo, el Pastor Rolando Pérez Lora fue arrestado frente a su familia en un parque de Peñas Altas, Matanzas, en el norte de Cuba, momentos después de haber terminado de subir un video de enseñanza bíblica a su canal de YouTube.

No está claro para la policía política que arrestó al pastor, qué delito había cometido. El pastor Pérez declaró a CSW que todas las semanas graba y sube videos en ese parque, porque es uno de los dos únicos lugares públicos con zona wifi en la ciudad. Normalmente su esposa, Gelayne Rodríguez Ávila, lo acompaña y a menudo ora por quienes se reúnen para escuchar y después suelen pedir oración.

Un video grabado por la Sra. Rodríguez muestra a su esposo siendo forzado por dos agentes a entrar en una patrulla, mientras él protesta: «Me están maltratando sin motivo. No he hecho nada malo», mientras se oyen los llantos de sus hijos pequeños de fondo.

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What’s at stake in Nepal’s general election: An interview with a pastor and human rights defender

As Nepal prepares to head to the polls on 5 March, the nation finds itself at a profound crossroads. This general election follows a period of significant political upheaval, including the youth-led protests of 2025 that led to the dissolution of the previous government and the appointment of an interim cabinet. For the approximately 18.9 million registered voters, the stakes extend far beyond economic stability or infrastructure; they touch upon the very identity of the nation.

The following Q&A conducted with Pastor Tanka Subedi, a human rights defender and entrepreneur based in Kathmandu, explores the intricate intersection of religion or belief and politics, examining how the upcoming vote might reshape every Nepali’s right to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB).


For readers outside Nepal, how would you describe the country’s religious mix today?

In general, people in Nepal coexist relatively peacefully with followers of other religions, provided that members of their own family or close community are not perceived to be converting. Tensions may arise when organised groups or individuals mobilise sentiment against another religion. Many Hindus consider Buddhists, Kirat, and Masto traditions as part of the broader Hindu cultural framework, and adherents of these traditions often accept this understanding. Islam is largely tolerated within society. Christianity, however, is frequently perceived as a foreign religion, which contributes to social suspicion and sensitivity around its growth.

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