Source: www.csw.org.uk
Date: April 12, 2022
The truth is finally out: Pastor Lorenzo has been sentenced to eight years in prison for peacefully protesting on 11 July 2021.
He was sentenced after his trial in December – yet neither Pastor Lorenzo nor his wife learnt of the decision until just days ago.
The only reason the truth has come to light is because the Cuban government wrote a public letter to the United Nations, responding to a request for information signed by five UN Special Procedures. But this letter is full of lies.
The Cuban government’s claim that Pastor Lorenzo was involved in a violent attack against Cuban State Security on 11 July is completely unfounded. There is, however, live footage and photos of Cuban authorities attacking unarmed, peaceful protestors in the street, with Pastor Lorenzo shown being held in a chokehold.
His wife, Maridilegnis, told us:
‘I don’t know if I can bear so much injustice and so many lies… He did not use violence against anyone and that was made more than clear. They know that we are all witnesses to their lies.’
Yet we know the truth: Pastor Lorenzo was targeted because he is a church leader - his arrest and detention are part of a long-standing campaign against him which goes back to 2009.
He should never have been sentenced to eight years in prison for peacefully protesting.
He should never have been arrested at all.
We’ll keep speaking out against the Cuban government’s blatant lies until the truth prevails. We will continue to demand justice no matter how long it takes.
Here are two ways you can take action today:
- For a complete change of heart by the Cuban government, and Luis Noel Plutin Rodriguez in particular – the man responsible for the charges. Pray that this would lead to Pastor Lorenzo’s immediate and unconditional release.
- For God to comfort and strengthen Pastor Lorenzo, Maridilegnis and their two children through this latest distressing development.
Thank you for everything you’ve already done to campaign for Pastor Lorenzo. We’ll keep you updated and share more actions you can take in due course. We won’t give up!
Dave
Head of Campaigns
P.S. You might be interested to see all the different ways that CSW has advocated for Pastor Lorenzo. Since 1 September 2021, we have:
- Published one article and nine press releases on Pastor Lorenzo’s case that were covered in 13 different media outlets, plus two local TV interviews and seven radio interviews.
- Published a briefing on Pastor Lorenzo’s case and raised his case in CSW’s 2022 general briefing and annual report on Cuba.
- Put high-level officials in several embassies in Havana in direct contact with Pastor Lorenzo’s family so they can monitor the situation directly. Last month, Pastor Lorenzo’s son, David, met with European diplomats at the Netherlands Embassy in Havana.
- Submitted information on Pastor Lorenzo’s case to several UN experts working on human rights issues, including the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief (FoRB).
- Delivered an oral statement at the 48th session of the UN Human Rights Council, raising concerns about Pastor Lorenzo’s case and calling for his unconditional release.
- Briefed US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) staff on Pastor Lorenzo’s case, which resulted in him being added to the USCIRF FoRB Victims List.
- Coordinated an open letter on Pastor Lorenzo’s case, signed by 7 Members of the European Parliament and submitted to the Cuban Embassy in Brussels.
- Briefed European External Action Service officials covering human rights in Cuba, leading to them directly raising Pastor Lorenzo’s case with the Cuban authorities.
- Mobilised the UK All-Party Parliamentary Group on FoRB to publish a statement condemning the Cuban government’s targeting of religious leaders, including Pastor Lorenzo.
- Assisted two MPs to submit written parliamentary questions on Pastor Lorenzo’s case.
- Provided information to the US State Department which led to a series of social media posts highlighting his case, shared by multiple senior officials across different bureaus.
- Led a campaign that mobilised 7,186 people to contact the Cuban Ambassador to the UK, calling for Pastor Lorenzo’s release.
- Held a protest outside the Cuban Embassy in London.