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USCIRF Annual Report 2004 - Cuba

Religious belief and practice continue to be tightly controlled in Cuba. As a result of the recent government crackdown on democracy activists, religious freedom conditions may decline further as part of a generally deteriorating situation. In 2004, the Commission placed Cuba on its Watch List. The Commission will continue to monitor conditions of freedom of religion or belief in Cuba to determine if they rise to a level warranting designation as a "country of particular concern," or CPC.

Cuba remains a hard-line Communist state, with a poor record on human rights that deteriorated significantly in 2003. Since seizing power in 1959, President Fidel Castro has maintained strong, centralized control of all facets of life in Cuba. While parliamentary, judicial, and executive institutions exist in name, all are under his control, and there is no legal or political avenue of dissent. Individuals who engage in dissent are beaten, harassed, and jailed. In February 2003, the Cuban government initiated a massive crackdown on independent journalists, leaders of independent labor unions and opposition parties, and other democracy activists, including those supporting the Varela Project and the Christian Liberation Movement. One human rights activist called the recent crackdowns and executions "the most intense wave of repression in the history of Cuba."

Since Castro came to power, the government has sought to suppress religion as being "counterrevolutionary." Though the Cuban government seeks to project an image to the outside world of religious freedom in that country, in fact, government authorities have long feared the influence of religion as a threat to the government's pervasive ideology. In the early years of the Castro regime, government and Communist Party officials forced priests, pastors, and others into labor camps or exile and systematically discriminated against those who openly professed their faith by excluding them from certain jobs or educational opportunities. In the past decade, however, the state instituted a limited rapprochement with religious believers. For example, the government abandoned its official policy of atheism in the early 1990s, Castro welcomed a visit from Pope John Paul II in 1998, and after 2000, the Christmas holiday was reinstated. The Pope's visit sparked great hopes inside the religious communities in Cuba, as well as among democratic activists who viewed these steps as a softening of past government policies.

Despite optimism that religious freedom would improve, violations have continued, as has the government's strong degree of control and generally hostile attitude toward religion. In early 2001, the Communist Party in Havana prepared a report that criticized inroads made by churches, particularly the Roman Catholic Church, into Cuban society, and asserted that the social work of the churches violated laws and regulations. Communist Party officials reportedly apologized to the Catholic Church hierarchy after the report was leaked. Nevertheless, Havana's Catholic Cardinal gave an interview in 2003 in which he asserted that "restrictions on religious freedom are returning" in Cuba, representing a "return to the ideology" of repression.

The government's main interaction with, and control of, religious denominations is through the Office of Religious Affairs of the Cuban Communist Party. The Cuban government also requires churches and other religious groups to register with the provincial Registry of Associations within the Ministry of Justice. Currently, there are approximately 50 state-recognized religions, primarily Christian denominations, half of which are members of the government-recognized Cuban Council of Churches. Reportedly, the government in recent years has not granted recognition to any new denominations, although it has tolerated the presence of various new faiths, such as the Baha'is.

The government does not permit the construction of new churches. Thus, those churches that are not recognized or those without adequate space are forced to meet in private homes or other similar accommodations, commonly known as "house churches." Permission for such meetings may be granted from the state if the church is from one of the recognized or official faiths, but permission is usually denied to those the government deems to be "an independent religious movement" (i.e. not recognized). Members of house churches outside the recognized religious faiths feel the brunt of this regulation; because they are not registered, their meetings are in violation of the law. If a complaint is made against a house church meeting, it can be broken up and the attendees imprisoned.

In the past year, both registered and unregistered religious groups continued to experience varying degrees of official interference, harassment, and repression. There are reports that house church pastors are routinely questioned and detained for several days by police and security forces. The U.S. Department of State also reports that Cuban Interior Ministry officials engage in efforts to control and monitor the country's religious institutions, including through surveillance, infiltration, and harassment of religious professionals and laypersons.

Other means by which the government restricts religion include: enforcement of a regulation that prevents any Cuban or joint enterprise (except those with specific authorization) from selling computers, facsimile machines, photocopiers, or other equipment to any church other than at the official – i.e. exorbitant – retail prices; an almost total state monopoly on printing presses; a prohibition on private religious schools; and a requirement that religious groups receive permission from local Communist Party officials before being allowed to hold processions or events outside of religious buildings. Refusal of such permission is often based on the decision of individual government officials rather than the letter of the law.

In the past year, Commission staff has met with Cuban human rights activists, regional experts, and religious leaders.

Topics: Freedom of religion,