The evangelical pastor and activist Rolando Fidel Pérez Lora, known as "Herald of Christ," has been forcibly relocated from Havana to his home province, Las Tunas, according to Christian activist David Espinosa reported on Facebook.
"He left at 7:00 a.m. His wife was able to communicate with him. We don't know anything more for now," wrote Espinosa; which confirms by content creator Iván Daniel Calás Navarro, with information confirmed by the pastor's family, stating that the regime threatened deportation.
Calás Navarro's statement also warned that Pérez Lora "was threatened with permanent imprisonment if he continues with his activism," and that the forced relocation to his place of origin was presented as a supposed alternative to prison.
The pastor, a member of the Alliance of Christians in Cuba and creator of the YouTube channel "Pregonero de Cristo," is originally from Las Tunas, where he pastored a church affiliated with the Evangelical League of Cuba before moving to Matanzas and later to Havana. His activism has connected him with the group Fuera de la Caja Cuba and activist Anna Bensi, making him a frequent target of State Security.
The episode on Friday marks at least the fourth repressive act that Pérez Lora has faced so far in 2026. In March, he was detained in a park in Peñas Altas, Matanzas, after recording and posting a biblical teaching on YouTube, and he was held for nearly three hours. On July 2, he was held for almost 12 hours in Alamar along with Anna Bensi and other members of Fuera de la Caja Cuba. On October 1, he was arrested while heading to the People's Municipal Court of Havana del Este to accompany Bensi and her mother, Caridad Silvente, during their trial: the officers tackled him, threw him to the ground, handcuffed him, and transported him in a police vehicle.
The mechanism of "internal deportation" used to threaten Pérez Lora is based on Decree-Law 217 of 1997, which requires administrative authorization for residents from other provinces to establish residence in Havana. Those who do not obtain it may be fined and forced to return to their place of origin.
The organization Cubalex has stated that the authorities are applying this decree selectively to dismantle support networks for opponents and journalists.
Journalist Yoani Sánchez, following her own nine-hour detention on Wednesday, reported hearing the words "illegal" and "deportation" repeated at the Cerro police station, where individuals without authorized residence were being forcibly removed from the capital.
The case of Pregonero de Cristo falls within a week of particularly intense repression. Journalist Camila Acosta was arrested while going to a veterinary appointment and was held for more than eight hours; her phone was destroyed. The political police carried out simultaneous operations in front of the homes of several activists and journalists to prevent them from attending an event at the U.S. Embassy.
On Friday, Karel Daniel Hernández Bosques, from Fuera de la Caja Cuba, was released after approximately 12 hours of interrogation at a police unit in Havana; and this Saturday, Christian activist Anthony Martínez was released after more than 20 hours of arbitrary detention in Guanajay, Artemisa.
Mauro Reigosa Pérez, spokesperson for Fuera de la Caja Cuba, described the situation unambiguously: "We are experiencing a wave of repression against all Cubans who create content or engage in political activism. All those who speak the political truth about this country are being targeted."
The Cuban Observatory of Human Rights (OCDH) documented at least 387 repressive actions in October 2026, surpassing the 344 recorded in September. The annual total amounts to 3,438 actions, a figure that already exceeds the total for all of 2025, when 3,179 were counted.
Yaxys Cires, director of Strategies at OCDH, warned that "the regime is increasing repression to force activists to leave the country, to intimidate the population, and to pressure the United States and the European Union. None of this will solve the serious structural crisis or the mistrust within the elite itself. Cuba is destined to undergo a process of political, economic, and social transition."
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