The evangelical pastor Rolando Fidel Pérez Lora, known on social media as "Preacher of Christ," was arrested this Thursday by State Security agents and the Revolutionary National Police while on his way to the Municipal People's Court of Havana del Este, in Cojímar, to accompany Anna Sofía Benítez Silvente (Anna Bensi) and her mother, Caridad Silvente, during their trial.
The arrest was recorded in a video shared on social media, where several officers are seen restraining the religious figure, throwing him to the ground, handcuffing him, and subsequently placing him in a police vehicle.
"Am I being detained? Record this, I am being detained. You have to tell me why. What is the cause?" asked Pérez Lora as he was being arrested.
In response to his repeated questions, one of the agents simply replied, "It will be recorded in the unit."
The journalist Yoe Suárez, who shared the images, reported that it was a detention "without any justification" against "a man who was accompanying, as a faith leader, a sheep."
The Cuban Observatory of Human Rights (OCDH) identified Pérez Lora as a member of the Alliance of Christians of Cuba and demanded respect for the judicial guarantees of Bensi and her mother, as well as the cessation of reprisals against those who attempted to support them or report on the process.
The arrest took place during an operation by Cuban authorities to prevent activists, journalists, and other individuals from reaching the court.
The Christian activist David Espinosa Martínez was also detained while attempting to attend the trial. One day earlier, he had anticipated that they might prevent him from getting there: "I know it is very likely that I will not be able to enter. If God allows it, I will be out there, and I will surely not be alone."
Furthermore, members of the youth collective Fuera de la Caja Cuba reported that State Security agents besieged their homes and prevented them from leaving in the morning.
"With the aim of restricting our freedom of movement and preventing us from attending Anna Bensi's trial, the repressive apparatus has stationed a patrol with several officers at the corner of each of our homes," they revealed.
The activist Carolina Barrero, leader of Ciudadanía y Libertad, summarized what happened with a phrase: “Accompanying is not a crime. Informing isn’t either.”
The trial against Anna Bensi and her mother
The trial against Anna Bensi and her mother, Caridad Silvente, originated last March when they recorded and shared on social media the visit of a minor official from the Ministry of the Interior (MININT) to their home in Alamar.
The authorities accused them of "acts against personal and family privacy" under Article 393 of the Penal Code. Since March 25, they have been under house arrest and are prohibited from leaving the country.
Before entering the court this Thursday, Bensi declared: “We are not criminals, may Cuba be free”.
Pérez Lora had been detained previously. In March, he was arrested in Peñas Altas, Matanzas, and released about three hours later. In July, he was also held along with Bensi for almost 12 hours at the Alamar police station.
Despite the operation on Thursday, several people managed to gather in front of the court. Yoe Suárez thanked those who came to the location, "overcoming the fear of repression," to take part in what he described as "a solidarity assembly outside the court."
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