“Cuban dictator Miguel Diaz-Canel traveled to Brussels for the July 17-18 EU-Latin America Summit, acting the part of world leader while the people of Cuba continue to suffer under the island’s communist dictatorship. Canel’s attempts to paint a happy picture of life under his regime are belied by recent reports on the island’s worsening human rights situation — particularly regarding religious freedom.
“According to the Cuban Observatory of Human Rights, a staggering 68% of respondents report that either they or someone they know has experienced varying degrees of harassment, repression, threats or obstruction in practicing their faith. Fifty-five percent of interviewees know a religious leader or group whose work has been prevented or faced difficulties, with even higher proportions among interviewees who identified as believers in the survey. The study also reveals the extent of state surveillance of religious Cubans: A whopping 65% of religious respondents reported being monitored.
“Hostility to religious freedom dates to the earliest days of Cuba’s communist dictatorship, but in recent years has seen a resurgence. This is due in part to the fact that religious institutions are the most trusted institutions in Cuba, and by their nature offer an alternative vision of morality and meaning that sets itself outside of the authority of the state. Moreover, 73% of respondents polled for the Observatory report say that Cuba is going in the wrong direction — a clear reflection of the mounting public dissatisfaction that has made the regime increasingly nervous, and correspondingly keen to crack down on dissent. …”
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