A Christian couple in Cuba was detained after allegedly disrespecting authorities by mentioning God during a military tribunal involving their son.
Luis Guillermo Borjas and Roxana Rojas, who are affiliated with the Assemblies of God denomination, attended the military tribunal regarding their son, Kevin Laureido Rojas.
Kevin had reportedly left a military facility after being forcibly taken there to fulfil Cuba’s mandatory military service requirement for males aged 18 and older, despite having a medical condition, even after his parents provided adequate evidence for him not to serve in the military.
According to Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), the couple presented documents from a medical commission stating that their son’s psychiatric condition made him unfit to perform military service.
However, when the military prosecutor accused the couple of lying and presenting false evidence, Pastor Borjas protested, stating that the officials in the court would ultimately be held accountable to “God’s justice”, CSW further reported.
“The prosecutor then reportedly ordered the couple to be detained and charged, claiming that mentioning God or “God’s justice” in a military tribunal was illegal.”
The officials requested that the couple receive an eight-year prison sentence.
According to the group, Rojas, who has a heart condition, lost consciousness and required hospitalisation on the night of the detention. During the hospital stay, Rojas was reportedly approached and harassed by a young man dressed in civilian clothing who misrepresented himself to be a nurse.
The trial was originally scheduled for June 9, 2025, but the Cuban government has postponed it indefinitely while keeping the severe criminal charges active. Additionally, Kevin remains detained in the Guayao Maximum Security Prison, located far from his family.
CSW’s Director of Advocacy, Anna Lee Stangl, has condemned the regime, stating that it is “unconscionable” to criminalise a family’s simple expression of faith. CSW continues to demand that the Cuban government drop all charges and release Kevin.
“It is unacceptable that a simple reference to their religious beliefs in response to the military’s unjust treatment of their family should be criminalised, and even more unconscionable that the government would seek an eight-year prison sentence,” Anna stated.
“CSW urges the international community to press the Cuban government to uphold the often-intersecting rights to freedom of expression and freedom of religion or belief for all,” Anna further stated.
CSW also reports that religious leaders are under constant pressure to expel family members of political prisoners from their congregations as part of a policy of social isolation. Children are subjected to physical and verbal abuse at school because of their religious beliefs.
Leaders of both registered and unregistered religious groups face persecution. Those belonging to registered groups are subjected to extensive surveillance and intense interrogation, while those from unregistered groups face harassment and threats, among other forms of persecution.
Other incidents of persecution in Cuba also include Pastor Rosales Fajardo, a member of the Monte de Sion Independent Church in Palma Soriano, Cuba. He was sentenced to seven years behind bars after reportedly being charged with public disorder, assault, disrespect, and criminal incitement.
“Rosales Fajardo was released along with 553 political prisoners after the Biden administration agreed to remove Cuba from the U.S. State Sponsors of Terrorism list,” according to the Christian Broadcasting Network.
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) reported that officials had “tortured” him while he was in detention.
“Fajardo … experienced torture in detention,” the report states. “On one occasion, prison authorities beat Fajardo so severely that he lost a tooth. They then urinated on him. In February 2024, the U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention found that the Cuban government had arbitrarily arrested and imprisoned Fajardo.”
According to International Christian Concern’s Global Persecution Index of 2024, “dictators everywhere appear to be increasing their focus on controlling religion or eliminating Christianity altogether.”
