The evangelical pastor Rolando Pérez Lora was arrested this Sunday in the province of Matanzas by agents of the Cuban regime police, according to a report from his wife on social media.
According to the testimony of his wife -quoted by digital news portals- moments before the arrest, the pastor had conducted a live broadcast on his YouTube channel in which he shared a message of love, faith, and hope based on the Bible.
Shortly thereafter, when he left his house headed to the church, he was intercepted by agents who were already waiting for him on the street and took him into custody.
The images shared on social media show the pastor being intervened in public next to a white car by two uniformed officers.
As of the closure of this report, his whereabouts remain unknown and the authorities have not provided any official information regarding the reasons for the arrest.
The arrest takes place on the same day that journalist Yoani Sánchez was prevented from leaving her home by an undercover State Security agent, who blocked her passage at the entrance of her building in Havana without presenting a legal order or identifying himself.
The repression against religious leaders in Cuba is not an isolated phenomenon. The Christian Alliance of Cuba documented 996 repressive actions against religious leaders just in 2024, highlighting a systematic pattern of harassment by the regime.
Internationally, organizations such as the USCIRF included Cuba among the countries with serious violations of religious freedom in 2026, while the CSW organization documents the ongoing repression against Christians and other religious groups on the island.
The case of Pastor Pérez Lora is reminiscent of that of the pastor Alain Toledano, exiled for the second time in October 2025, and that of the pastor Ramón Rigal, arrested in Guantánamo for leading a homeschooling evangelical community, reflecting a long history of religious persecution in Cuba.
In this context, the OCDH reported 231 repressive actions in Cuba during the month of February 2026, while the regime simultaneously announced the release of 51 prisoners following dialogue with the Vatican, in a contradiction that reveals the dual nature of the Cuban authorities before the international community.
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