The Presbyter Executive of the Camagüey District, Dizzis Ramos, and the pastor Jorleidis Reynaldo, are under police investigation and on house arrest for buying cement in Camagüey.
A post on the Facebook page of the Assemblies of God has generated a wave of support for the religious group, as it is believed to be a case fabricated by the State Security to hinder the work that this church does in its community.
Let us pray for our Executive Presbyter of the Camagüey District, Rev. Dizzis Ramos, that God may deliver and keep him in the midst of the trials," says the text published by the Evangelical Pentecostal Church, Assemblies of God in Cuba.
The independent journalist Yaiset Rodríguez Fernández explained that Pastor Reynaldo was sent by Ramos to buy cement at the factory in Nuevitas, where it was being sold legally and "on the black market". He purchased a large quantity and while transporting it, the police stopped the vehicle.
The officers requested proof of purchase and upon checking them, they stated that they were fake. The cement was confiscated, and Pastor Reynaldo was arrested.
Surprisingly, the only papers considered fraudulent were those from this purchase, even though many other people also bought cement that day.
The followers of these Cuban pastors warn that the case appears to be a trap designed to stop the work of Dizzis Ramos, who has had a significant impact in Camalote, the community where his church is located.
Ramos has promoted the construction of houses for the elderly and people in need there. He has received help from a global ministry to organize events where toys and bicycles were given to the children in the area.
The first accused is Reynaldo, but Dizzis Ramos is being investigated for being the head pastor of the church. He is forbidden from leaving the province. Interestingly, the lawyer who was handling the defense of the clergyman has stopped answering the phone.
The people from the Nuevitas factory who sold the cement and provided the fake papers are not under investigation. This reinforces the suspicion that this is an operation by State Security to limit the influence of the church in society.
From the Cuban Observatory of Human Rights (OCDH), they demand the cessation of harassment, threats, and repression against pastors Jorleidis Reynaldo and Dizzis Ramos.
This is another example of the challenges faced by religious institutions in Cuba, where fabricated evidence and intimidation tactics seek to silence and neutralize their social work.
It remains to be seen to what extent they will be willing to go to accuse and condemn these two pastors for a crime they claim to have committed.
What do you think?
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