Christian Alliance Highlights Cuba's Severe Crisis and Religious Repression

The Christian Alliance of Cuba (ACC) issued a stark warning this Tuesday about the dire state of the nation, characterized by a "deep political, economic, social, and spiritual crisis," alongside a relentless increase in repression, including harsh limitations on religious freedom.

In a public statement shared by the Cuban Observatory of Human Rights on their X profile, alliance representatives, gathered in Camagüey with local pastors, sounded the alarm on the widespread deterioration of living conditions on the island. According to the observatory's data, a staggering 89% of Cuban families currently live in extreme poverty, without any visible government plans to address this dire situation.

“The crisis isn't just economic,” they caution, highlighting the existence of at least 762 political prisoners and prisoners of conscience, as well as rising neighborhood violence, corruption, theft, femicides, drug consumption, and other issues that deepen societal despair.

Challenges Facing Religious Institutions

There is particular concern over the obstacles churches and religious leaders face in carrying out their pastoral and community work. The alliance pointed out that over 80% of local churches lack legal recognition, as only religious associations acknowledged before 1962 enjoy that legal status.

Additionally, they condemned the confiscation of properties, the demolition of temples, hurdles in importing materials, the inability to offer broad social services, and the restrictions on accompanying the population in hospitals, prisons, schools, and other institutions.

International Appeal for Support

The ACC reported that at least 996 repressive actions against religious leaders were documented in 2024, a figure that remains consistent with a similar monthly average in 2025. The alliance called upon international institutions and democratic governments to urge the Cuban regime to cease harassment of religious freedom and to legally recognize churches, denominations, and ministries.

"We do not ask this for our own benefit, but for the well-being of the Cuban people," concludes the declaration, signed by the 63 alliance members and the attending witnesses. This organization has been one of the most vocal religious entities denouncing the decline of rights on the island.

Advocacy for Legal Recognition and Human Rights

According to a report by the news portal Diario de Cuba, in June 2024, during their second assembly in Las Tunas, more than 60 Christian congregations signed a communiqué demanding the Cuban government allow the legal registration of new churches and establish a legal framework supporting this right, in accordance with Article 18 of the International Covenant on Human Rights.

In this document, the organization also called for the release of all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience, and an end to pre-criminal judicial processes, viewing them as violations of international law and the presumption of innocence.

Condemnation of Exploitative Practices

The Alliance also criticized the precarious situation of Cuban workers and condemned what they termed as modern forms of slavery, referring to the use of overseas medical missions as a currency-generating mechanism by the regime. They demanded that violence against women be effectively addressed, not with further political repression.

Established in November 2022 in Las Tunas, this Christian platform's core objectives are defending the freedom of association and worship, and supporting the release of political prisoners. Their statements have raised the profile of independent churches amidst the prevailing religious repression on the island.

Currently, relations between the Cuban regime and the Church — including the Catholic Church and other denominations — are strained, marked by open criticism from priests and pastors on social media, who decry the country's moral, institutional, and economic collapse.