Persecution of Christian in Cuba is on the rise, as the
government seizes not less than 1,400 church building belonging to Assemblies
of God Churches.
In a report made
available by the Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), it was revealed that
many of such buildings have been demolished already.
According to the group, the churches were earmarked for
seizure in 2015 and to date, many have been impounded and demolished.
As if that was not enough, so many Pastors have been
detained, harassed and their possessions have been seized.
A major crackdown is said to be on the way as about 100
other churches will be demolished in the weeks ahead, said CSW.
To justify the persecution of Christians, the Cuban
government have accused the Assemblies of God churches of not being registered,
thus making them illegal.
Furthermore, CSW has reported nine cases of harassment
against church leaders in 2016, including those detained whilst their churches
were being demolished.
One of such case was when Rev Mario Felix Lleonart Barroso
was arrested hours before President Barack Obama arrived in Cuba on an official
visit.
In his words, CSW's Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas said:
"CSW is alarmed by the escalation of violations throughout Cuba, but
humbled and inspired by the courage and perseverance of the many religious
communities who continue to peacefully resist government pressure.
"We remain disappointed by the broken promises for
reform on the part of the Cuban government and urge it to change course.
"We call on the international community and in
particular the United Kingdom, European Union and the United States government
to stand in solidarity with Cuban citizens by pressing the Cuban government to
halt these repressive actions."
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