Cuban regime opens criminal proceedings against Masonic leaders

Authorities accuse two senior representatives of masonry in Cuba of alleged currency trafficking, in a new episode of the criminalization of independent structures.

The complaint was made by the Sovereign Grand Commander José Ramón Viñas Alonso, who revealed this Tuesday on his Facebook profile that he was summoned by State Security and charged with the offense of currency trafficking, after being interrogated about the trips abroad made by members of the organization and the source of the funds.

Viñas explained that the true reason seems to be linked to a unanimous agreement from the Masonic Board, which made two $100 exchanges this year among brothers to address urgent expenses in national currency related to the asylum they manage.

The problem, according to the authorities, is that the exchange was made at an unofficial rate of 370 pesos, instead of the official rate of 120, which would constitute an economic crime.

"We are told that currency trafficking is due to the fact that it hasn’t been exchanged at the bank... making us aware that it is a crime punishable by 2 to 5 years of imprisonment," denounced Viñas, who asserted that precautionary measures such as restrictions on movement (home-work) and immigration regulations have been imposed.

"We have no concerns because as citizens we don't have even a single traffic ticket," wrote the Mason leader, asserting that all of this has a background that goes beyond money.

"We know what is intended with all of this; it will be what it must be, but I want to state before my brothers our innocence."

The writer and independent journalist Ángel Santiesteban Prats also confirmed on social media that both Viñas Alonso and Grand Master Kessel Juan Alberto Kessel Linares have been released, but with open criminal proceedings.

These allegations were joined by the mason Sergio Rafael Vidal Águila, who published an extensive and compelling message on Facebook, in which he accuses the Cuban regime of carrying out a “frontline, ruthless, and utterly shameless attack” against freemasonry, as part of an open strategy for control and institutional dismantling.

According to Vidal, Kessel Linares is facing a criminal process for the alleged crime of "incitement to commit a crime," after having publicly supported other members in their attempt to prevent an "unprecedented violation" in Masonic governance.

Kessel had been subjected to a restraining order prohibiting him from approaching the Grand Masonic National Temple, and he is now accused of "violating" that restriction simply for visiting the venue on July 6 to fulfill his responsibilities.

Regarding Viñas Alonso, the economist and member of the Freemasonry indicates that he has been harassed for over a year, and that the charges against him for "currency trafficking" are the result of a failed attempt to discredit those who defend the autonomy of the institution.

Vidal denounces that State Security is investing resources in pursuing Masonic leaders, while the country faces a widespread crisis: “It is curious that in a country filled with drugs and such active crime, the most important Masonic figure of the Cuban symbolic branch is the target of an entire agency.”

The message also recalls the historical role of Freemasonry in the struggle for freedom in Cuba, citing as an example that figures like Fidel Castro, Ramiro Valdés, and Abel Santamaría found support in Masonic lodges after the attack on Moncada in 1953, and that it was a Freemason — Lieutenant Pedro Sarría Tartabull — who saved Fidel's life with the famous phrase: "Ideas cannot be killed."

Vidal concludes by warning that the current attempt to control the internal structures of Cuban masonry is not new, but that it is now being done openly and with the support of state institutions such as MINJUS, whose officials would be directly involved in the accusations.

And he concludes: “When you are no longer here, we will still be there. And with complete certainty, on some wall of a building still standing, an ancient plaque in bronze will continue to bear that statement, which says much more about us than anything anyone might ever say about you…”.

The Cuban masonry is facing one of its greatest institutional crises following a series of events that highlight a growing state persecution and control.

Dozens of Masons gathered in front of the San Diego Lodge in Havana to reaffirm the sovereignty of their institution, after the Ministry of Justice invalidated the election of the new Grand Master, Juan Alberto Kessell Linares, and imposed Lázaro Cuesta Valdés, a figure close to the regime.

Tensions escalated when, amid shouts of “Out!” and singing the Bayamo Anthem, the Freemasons succeeded in expelling Mayker Filema Duarte from the Grand Lodge of Cuba.

Cuban masonry, struck in 2024 by a corruption scandal involving its former Grand Master Mario Urquía Carreño, is now experiencing its second major crisis. However, this time, the response has been different: unity, mobilization, and defense of its foundational principles.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Persecution of Freemasonry in Cuba