Cuban church leader arrested on questionable charges.

A respected church leader in Cuba was unexpectedly arrested on Monday and taken to a town in Central Cuba where he is expected to stand trial. CSW believes the charges of “offensive behaviour” and “threats” against Reverend Roberto Rodriguez to be false. Those close to Reverend Rodriguez, who is in his late 60s and in poor health, say he became a government target after the organization he led publicly withdrew from a government sanctioned religious umbrella group in the second half of 2008, and that the criminal charges against him are an attempt to discredit and silence him. His arrest was so sudden that Reverend Rodriguez was unable to take important medication with him. It is feared that without it, his health will continue to deteriorate.

According to his family, state security officials arrived at the home without warning on 30 August and forced Reverend Rodriguez to go with them. The family understands that he will be taken to the town of Placetas where he will be put on trial sometime over the next few days. Prosecutors are asking that he be given a one-year prison sentence.

Charges were first brought against Reverend Rodriguez in late 2008 and he was given three trial dates over the course of 2009 but no trial ever took place. He and his family were forced to move after being subjected to constant verbal and physical abuse from their neighbors, apparently acting with the support of the government. He has spent the last 21 months under house arrest.

CSW is calling on the Cuban authorities to release Reverend Rodriguez immediately and drop all charges against him.

CSW’s National Director Stuart Windsor said, “The treatment of Reverend Rodriguez and his family over the past 21 months has been disgraceful. The European Union will be looking at the human rights situation and reviewing its Common Position on Cuba this month. While some heralded the release of some Cuban prisoners of conscience this summer as an improvement in the human rights situation, the arrest of Reverend Rodriguez this week demonstrates that the Cuban government is not interested in real human rights reform. We call on the EU to make urgent representations on behalf of Reverend Rodriguez to the Cuban government.”

For further information or to arrange interviews please contact Kiri Kankhwende, Press Officer at Christian Solidarity Worldwide on +44 (0)20 8329 0045 , +44 (0)20 8329 0045 , +44 (0) 78 2332 9663 , +44 (0) 78 2332 9663 , email: kiri@csw.org.uk or visit www.csw.org.uk.

CSW is a human rights organization which specializes in religious freedom, works on behalf of those persecuted for their Christian beliefs and promotes religious liberty for all.

Notes to Editors:

1. Reverend Rodriguez is a pastor in the Los Pinos Nuevos denomination and was the national president of CIMPEC, the Interdenominational Fellowship of Evangelical Pastors and Ministers. CIMPEC formally withdrew from the Cuban Council of Churches, citing constant government interference in their internal affairs.

2. The behaviour of Reverend Rodriguez's neighbors is consistent with a government strategy of encouraging “acts of repudiation” - where civilians are encouraged to harass and sometimes attack Cubans who have fallen foul of the authorities, usually human rights or democracy activists. The harassment of the Rodriguez family culminated in a physical attack against Reverend Rodriguez's daughter-in-law, who suffered a miscarriage and was hospitalized.

3. Photographs are available from the CSW press office. When using the photographs, please credit CSW.–

Photo: Rev. Roberto Rodríguez. (CSW Photo)

Read complete information about: Religious freedom in Cuba 01/08/2010, in English and Spanish.

Pastores y laicos cubanos en la UMAP.

Fidel Castro no hizo distingos en su agresión a los hombres de Fe. A la UMAP (Unidades Militares de Ayuda a la Producción) fueron enviados sacerdotes católicos y pastores de Iglesias evangélicas.

En esta foto histórica, tomada el 21 de septiembre de 1966 en los campos de la UMAP aparecen de izquierda a derechas los siguientes pastores (¿o laicos?):

• Orlando A Colás (Bautista)
• Joel Ajo (Metodista)
• Serafín (Pentecostal)
• Orlando (Metodista)
• Rigoberto Cervantes (Bautista)
• Orlando González (Bautista)

Solo en los escasos días de visita a los confinados, - religiosos o no-, vestían estos uniformes de aspecto militar. Terminadas las horas de visita estos pastores evangélicos volverían – de inmediato- a vestir el sucio uniforme azul de trabajo, con el que se realizaban la misma dura y la esclava labor de todos los confinados.

Sergio Nieves

Fuente: Totalitarian Images

 

Cuba: Pastor's wife faces court after losing baby in attack

A Cuban pastor’s wife who miscarried after a neighbor attacked her went on trial on Monday, accused by the authorities of ‘disturbing the public order’ during the incident.
Gilianys Meneses Rodriguez, wife of Pastor Eric Gabriel Rodriguez, was attacked on the street by the wife of a neighbor in December 2008.
Christian Solidarity Worldwide said the attack was the latest in a campaign of harassment against the Rodriguez family, carried out with the tacit support of the authorities, due to the families’ involvement in the Interdenominational Fellowship of Evangelical Pastors and Ministers in Cuba's (CIMPEC) decision to leave the Cuban Council of Churches (CCC).
The neighbors first contaminated the families’ drinking water well, and broke the water pipes and septic tank, before accusing Gilianys’ husband of aggressive behaviour.
CSW said Gilianys miscarried after eight weeks pregnancy as a result of the attack. The entire family has been forced to move away from their home in Placetas due to concerns for their safety.
Gilianys, a mother of two girls, is now the third member of the Rodriguez family to be summoned to appear before the Placetas Tribunal.
Her father-in-law, Rev Roberto Rodriguez, was national president of CIMPEC until October 2008 when the Cuban authorities removed him, following the decision of CIMPEC to withdraw from the CCC. CIMPEC cited illegal government interference in their internal affairs as the reason for their withdrawal.
The harassment and legal proceedings against the family began after the difficulties between CIMPEC and the CCC. Rev Roberto Rodriguez has since been summoned to appear in court four times on charges of "threatening behaviour".
Gilianys’ husband, Pastor Eric Gabriel Rodriguez, was tried on the same charges as his father in December 2008 and has been sentenced to one year probation.
There has been an increase in reported violations of religious liberty since Raul Castro took power in early 2008.
Mervyn Thomas, Chief Executive of CSW, said: “We strongly condemn the legal persecution of the Rodriguez family and in particular the latest charges against Gilianys Meneses who has already suffered terrible personal injustice.
"We call on members of the international community to raise the case with the Cuban government as a matter of urgent concern and ensure the harassment of this family ceases.”
Source: Christian Today
Additional Information:
Cuban pastor’s trial suspended for a third time. Take action
Photo: Pastor Rodriguez and Family.