The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) recommended May 13 that Cuba be designated a “country of particular concern,” a status reserved for countries that engage in or tolerate “particularly severe violations of religious freedom.”
The recommendation said Cubans face multiple “repressive tactics,” including surveillance, harassment, and the forced exile of religious figures.
Intimidation and interrogation by security forces have also contributed to the forced exile of multiple “unrecognized” religious leaders, including Father José Ramirez, whom the government expelled in 2025 for ringing church bells during a protest against severe power outages in the region.
The recommendation comes after the commission released its 2026 report, which warned of “systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom” in the country, including what the USCIRF described as a repressive legal framework aimed at discouraging religious activity.
The recommendation also highlighted that religious leaders and worshipers face arrest for engaging in religious activities deemed “out of step” with Cuba’s ruling party. For instance, a man was arrested in April during a Good Friday procession after he chanted religious phrases. The recommendation said Cuban state security officials dressed in “plainclothes” and mingled among crowds to identify and monitor such behavior.
Amid ongoing food and energy shortages, the USCIRF also pointed to government restrictions on Christian groups’ humanitarian outreach.
Catholic humanitarian aid efforts are being stonewalled, the recommendation said, as the Cuban state perceives such efforts as a direct critique of “its own failures.” It added that in October 2025, Cuban authorities installed “checkpoints” blocking the passage of supplies Christian groups sought to deliver following Hurricane Melissa.
As Zeale News previously reported, the USCIRF’s annual report recommended that the U.S. State Department designate 18 countries, including Cuba, as “countries of particular concern.” It warned that religious freedom abuses remain widespread throughout the world and urged the U.S. government to take stronger action against religious persecution.