While there are no independent sources on Cuba’s religious demographics, a reported 60–70 percent of Cuba’s estimated population of 11.1 million self-identify as Catholic. Approximately 25–30 percent identify as unaffiliated or another religion, such as Jehovah’s Witnesses, Methodists, Seventh-day Adventists, Anglicans, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Buddhists, Muslims, Jews, Quakers, Moravians, and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. An estimated 70% of Cubans engage in one or more practices associated with Santería, a syncretic religion borne out of the Yoruba tradition mixed with elements of Catholicism, or another Afro-Cuban religion. Cuba is a one-party system under the ruling Cuban Communist Party, with no independent judiciary and where the state tightly controls religious institutions. A new constitution adopted in April 2019 protects the freedom of religion or belief and prohibits religious discrimination. A timetable was set to review and amend corresponding legislation to codify the constitutional changes, including the Law of Associations. However, this process has been delayed, resulting in some constitutional rights existing only on paper. Restrictions on Religious Property The right to establish and maintain places of worship is severely limited in Cuba. It is illegal to hold religious activities in buildings not dedicated for religious use. The ORA rarely grants permission for new religious buildings and seldomly approves any renovation or construction of designated religious buildings. In a positive development, in October the Catholic Church opened the last of three new churches built since the 1959 socialist revolution. Threats to demolish unregistered religious buildings reportedly increased, and even registered religious buildings were targeted. Cuban authorities, with permission from the ORA, demolished an Assemblies of God church in Santiago de Cuba in October. This church was one of the few Protestant churches with legal status, as it had been registered since 1959. Pastor Toledano, who lives in the neighborhood, was violently detained while broadcasting the demolition on social media. Authorities later detained the church’s pastor and superintendent. Many, if not most, Cubans’ place of worship is private residences. The Cuban government imposes complicated and repressive requirements on private residences used as places of worship, limiting the ability of Cubans to worship in community. Conscientious Objectors There are no legal provisions exempting conscientious objectors from mandatory military service. In December, Oscar Kendri Fial Echavarría, who believes carrying and using weapons goes against his Christian beliefs, was detained and later prosecuted for disobedience because he did not enlist. In October, activist Osmel Rubio Santos was detained for several hours after refusing military service. Targeting of Independent Journalists Who Report on Religious Freedom The Cuban government frequently targeted independent journalists for reporting on religious freedom conditions. After serving over a year in a labor camp for disobedience and resistance for covering the trials of Pastors Rigal and Expósito, independent journalist Roberto Jesus Quiñones Haces was released in September. Cuban authorities also harassed other independent journalists who report on religious freedom, including Yoe Suárez, by threatening criminal charges and fines, often under Decree Law 370, and imposing travel restrictions. Denial of Religious Freedom for Activists and Protesters Cuban authorities also violated the religious freedom of human rights activists and protesters, often by blocking their access to religious services. The Ladies in White, the wives and relatives of dissidents imprisoned in 2003, suspended their weekly attendance at Mass and protest marches due to coronavirus. However, the group was denied access to religious services and arbitrarily detained when marches occurred at the beginning of the year and after restrictions were relaxed. In December, Lady in White Martha Sánchez González was released early on parole from prison, where she was serving a fouryear sentence that began in 2018 for disobedience. In November, a crackdown on the San Isidro Movement (MSI), a civil society group opposed to restrictions on artistic expression, sparked rare protests calling for greater freedom of expression. Cuban authorities harassed, surveilled, and stopped some protesters from leaving their homes, including preventing individuals from attending religious services. Catholic officials were reportedly blocked from visiting protesters. One priest who attempted to visit and attend to the protesters’ religious needs was fined for “enemy propaganda” and told he required a permit from the ORA to access protesters. Key U.S. Policy The Trump administration’s policy toward Cuba was guided by the November 2017 National Security Presidential Memorandum entitled Strengthening the Policy of the United States toward Cuba, which focused on the need for human rights, democracy, and free enterprise in Cuba. In 2020, the Trump administration imposed a range of sanctions that aimed to deny the Cuban regime funds used to support Venezuela while strengthening Cuba’s civil society and private sector. Since 2018, the U.S. Embassy in Havana has operated with a permanently reduced staff and limited embassy operations. High-level government officials raised concern regarding Cuba’s poor human rights record, including then Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo, who welcomed the release of Roberto Quiñones and condemned the crackdown on MSI. Then U.S. Agency for International Development Acting Administrator John Barsa noted the importance of religious freedom in Cuba during a webinar in September. Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Havana Timothy Zuniga-Brown condemned religious freedom abuses in Cuba, including the demolition of the church in October. On December 2, the State Department again placed Cuba on its Special Watch List for severe violations of religious freedom. U S C I R F – R E C O M M E N D E D F O R S P E C I A L W AT C H L I S T 63 CUBA Background