Berta Soler Fernández and her husband Ángel Moya Acosta were apprehended on Friday by agents of the State Security and the National Police in the 10 de Octubre district of Havana. This arrest was intended to prevent them from attending a church service they were unaware of.
According to Soler's own report on her Facebook account, the couple had left the national headquarters of the Ladies in White in the Lawton neighborhood at 2:35 PM to carry out personal errands just two blocks away.
Upon their return around 3 PM, they were stopped separately at the intersection of Porvenir and Bouza avenues. "We were detained in different patrol cars by State Security oppressors and the National Police," Soler wrote.
While inside the vehicles, an agent informed each of them that they would not be attending "any mass," describing it as "very important."
"We asked separately what they were referring to," Soler recounted, emphasizing that neither she nor her husband had any knowledge of the religious event.
After being held in the patrol cars for approximately 30 minutes, they were released but followed back to the national headquarters to ensure they did not leave again.
Soler summed up the situation with a few words: "They are terrified."
This operation seems to be part of a coordinated pattern: journalist Camila Acosta was also prevented from leaving her home by police and State Security agents to stop her from attending the mass at Havana Cathedral, marking the anniversary of Pope Leo XIV's election, indicating that this religious event was the reason for both repressive actions.
The arrest on Friday is not an isolated incident. On January 1st, Soler was detained while heading to the first mass of the year in Havana. In April, she informed Martí Noticias about an intensification of harassment, saying, "The Department of State Security continues to violate our religious freedom, with harassment, intimidation, threats of imprisonment, and monitoring on the streets."
During the same period, Soler reported increased repression against the Ladies in White, including periods of house arrest lasting up to 48 days to prevent their participation in religious and public events.
Moya, a former political prisoner from the Group of 75, was sentenced during the Black Spring of 2003 and released in 2009. He refused exile and continued his activism in Cuba alongside Soler.
Cubalex identified both as principal victims of repression in their March 2026 semiannual report, which documented a total of 179 victims. Meanwhile, the Cuban Observatory of Human Rights recorded 873 violations of religious freedom in Cuba during 2025.
Soler, recipient of the European Parliament's Sakharov Prize and the 2025 Lech Wałęsa Solidarity Prize, was unable to collect the latter award in person due to the restrictions imposed by the regime.
Key Questions About Cuban Repression and Religious Freedom
Why were Berta Soler and Ángel Moya detained?
Berta Soler and Ángel Moya were detained by State Security and the National Police to prevent them from attending a church service in Havana, which they were unaware of.
What is the significance of the church service they were prevented from attending?
The church service was significant as it marked the anniversary of Pope Leo XIV's election, and it seems to have been the reason for the coordinated actions to prevent several activists from attending.
How have Berta Soler and Ángel Moya been targeted in the past?
Both activists have faced ongoing harassment, including detention, house arrest, and threats, as part of the regime's efforts to curb their religious and political activities.