The evangelical pastor Rolando Fidel Pérez Lora, known on social media as "Pregonero de Cristo," was arrested on Thursday by agents of State Security and the Revolutionary National Police while heading to the People's Municipal Court of Havana del Este, in Cojímar, to accompany Anna Sofía Benítez Silvente (Anna Bensi) and her mother during their trial.
The arrest was recorded in a video shared on social media, in which several officers are seen restraining the cleric, throwing him to the ground, handcuffing him, and subsequently placing him in a police vehicle.
"Am I being detained? Record this, they're detaining me. You have to tell me why. What is the reason?" asked Pérez Lora as he was being arrested.
In response to their repeated questions, one of the agents simply replied, "It will be raised in the unit."
Journalist Yoe Suárez, who shared the images, reported that it was an arrest "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 tried to accompany them or report on the process.
The arrest took place during an operation by the Cuban authorities to prevent activists and others from reaching the courthouse.
The Christian activist David Espinosa Martínez was also detained while trying to attend the trial. The day before, he had anticipated that they might prevent him from getting there: "I know it is very likely that I won't be able to enter. If God allows it, I will be out there, and I surely will not be alone."
Meanwhile, members of the youth collective Fuera de la Caja Cuba reported that State Security agents surrounded their homes and prevented them from leaving during 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 agents at the corner of each of our houses," they reported.
The activist Carolina Barrero, leader of Ciudadanía y Libertad, summed up 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, originates from March 2026, when both recorded and shared on social media the visit of a non-commissioned officer 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 stated: “We are not criminals, may Cuba be free”.
Pérez Lora had previously been arrested. In March, he was arrested in Peñas Altas, Matanzas and was released about three hours later. In July, he was also detained along with Bensi for nearly 12 hours at the Alamar police station.
Despite the operation, several people managed to gather in front of the court. Yoe Suárez thanked those who came to the site for "overcoming the fear of repression" to participate in what he described as "a solidarity assembly outside the court."
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