Item 4: General Debate 

Organisation: Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) 

Speaker: Ellis Heasley 

Thank you, Mr President,

CSW remains concerned by the situation of freedom of religion or belief in Cuba.  

CSW documented 657 violations of freedom of religion or belief in Cuba in 2022 – more than double the 272 recorded in the previous year. 

The primary perpetrator of these violations remains the Cuban Communist Party’s Office of Religious Affairs working with the Department of State Security.

Violations include but are not limited to harassment, arbitrary detention, restrictions on movement and travel, prevention from attending religious services, and confiscation of goods and property.  

The situation is likely to deteriorate further following the adoption of a new criminal code which came into force on 1 December and will amplify the government’s ability to crack down on leaders of unregistered civil society groups, including some religious groups, and on unauthorised gatherings of individuals.  

In addition, a new family code strengthens the ability of the government to force religious leaders and others into compliance using the threat of the removal of their children if their parent or guardian is perceived as insufficiently supportive of the authorities. 

We call on Cuba to ensure that the right to freedom of religion or belief is upheld in accordance with international norms and standards, and we maintain that the elimination of the Office of Religious Affairs is essential for this to happen. 

The strategies of the Cuban Communist Party are not dissimilar to those implemented by China, where the authorities continue to introduce regulations designed to restrict registered religious groups, and to eliminate any space for independent religion or belief communities. 

Religious leaders and human rights defenders in China are regularly targeted with harassment, intimidation, detention, enforced disappearance, disbarment, imprisonment and even torture. 

We call on China to revise all regulations and legislation pertaining to religion to ensure they align with international standards on the right to FoRB as set out in Article 18 of the ICCPR and the UDHR, and to ensure that this right is protected for all citizens.

We urge the international community to establish an independent international investigative mechanism on the situation of human rights in China.  

Thank you.