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The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) once again included Cuba in its annual report for 2026, identifying it as one of the countries where freedom of religion or belief faces serious and systematic violations.
The document, presented in Washington and focused on the situation recorded during 2025, recommends that the U.S. government redesignate Cuba as a "Country of Particular Concern", the most severe category provided in U.S. legislation regarding international religious freedom.
The list also includes Afghanistan, Myanmar, China, Eritrea, India, Iran, Nicaragua, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Vietnam.
According to the report, “the conditions for religious freedom in Cuba continued to be inadequate” during the year analyzed. It describes a legal system that allows the government to exert strict control over religious activities and to pressure leaders and faith communities or fraternal associations.
The document points to the direct and arbitrary regulation by the Office of Religious Affairs (OAR) of the Central Committee of the Communist Party over the registration decisions of religious organizations with the Ministry of Justice on the island. The OAR frequently denies registration or does not respond to pending requests for long periods.
And for unregistered organizations such as the Yoruba Free Association of Cuba, the lack of legal recognition means being criminalized, victims of ongoing harassment, interrogations, arrests, threats of imprisonment, and confiscation of property.
Among the documented incidents in 2025 is the temporary disappearance of an evangelical pastor, detentions of members of the Ladies in White movement to prevent them from attending mass, and threats against a babalao for conducting religious rituals in his home.
The evangelical pastor Mario Félix Lleonart, director of the Patmos Institute, pointed out to Martí Noticias the significance of this report from USCIRF - a bipartisan entity based in Washington DC - as it serves as a reference for subsequent official evaluations by the U.S. Department of State.
He also warned that violations could continue to increase during the current year, as in just the past two months of 2026, the island's government "has committed numerous violations against all faith groups," almost as if it aims to break its grim record in this regard, the media outlet reports.
The report also recommends expanding sanctions against officials responsible for violations of religious freedom, such as Caridad Diego Bello, head of the OAR, and strengthening support for civil society organizations that document these abuses.
Data from independent organizations point in the same direction. The Cuban Observatory of Human Rights reported that in 2025, there were at least 873 violations of religious freedom in the country, with peaks of repression between March and June and during times of heightened social tension.
According to that organization, the most closely monitored communities were those that took critical stances toward the national crisis or promoted social aid initiatives independent of the State. Repressive actions affected churches and spiritual movements, religious leaders, laypersons, political prisoners, and their families.
Among the reported incidents are summons and interrogations of leaders from the Centro de Estudios Convivencia in Pinar del Río, harassment against the family of exiled pastor Alain Toledano Valiente, and the denial of religious assistance to political prisoners, who were prevented from meeting with spiritual leaders or had their faith-related items confiscated.
The observatory also documented tensions with the Catholic Church and the expulsion of Mexican priest José Ramírez, whose temporary residency was not renewed after he rang the bells of a church in Havana during neighborhood protests over blackouts.
In parallel, there are ongoing reports of direct pressure against members of the clergy. In January 2026, the Catholic priests Alberto Reyes Pías and Castor José Álvarez Devesa were summoned by State Security in Camagüey for interrogations, without any official reason being provided.
According to various reports gathered by independent organizations and media outlets, these incidents are part of a pattern of surveillance, summons, and reprisals that affect religious communities and leaders who express criticisms regarding the harsh situation in the country.
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