The Alliance of Christians in Cuba (ACC) denounced in a statement the political, social and economic crisis that the island is facing, as well as human rights issues.

“As religious leaders, we witness these difficulties and strive to bring hope to the elderly, children, women, men and families of political prisoners who suffer the absence of their loved ones just for exercising their rights”, said the 63 Cuban religious leaders who signed the joint declaration.

During its 6th national meeting, the signatories stressed that they “observe with dismay that the Cuban state refuses to open spaces for the exercise of fundamental rights such as freedom of association, which “limits churches’ ability to provide support and social aid to those most in need”.

The statement underlined that the ACC “has documented more than one million [Cuban Pesos (CUP)] collected by the government in fines imposed on religious leaders”.

“This represents a direct attack on freedom of worship and on those seeking to help their communities”, it added.

89% lives in extreme poverty

According to the Christian leaders, “those who suffer most from this critical situation are women, who face the anguish of not having anything to feed their children”, and “those who dare to ask for help or demand any rights are cruelly repressed, regardless of whether they are teenagers, elderly or whether they are holding children in their arms”.

“This repression only worsens their suffering and further limits their chances of finding relief in the midst of the crisis”, they pointed out.

The statement warned that “the situation is even more alarming because 89% of the population lives in extreme poverty and over 1,000 political prisoners have not yet been released”.

A call at Christmas

The ACC lamented that “the world's most anticipated Christian holiday, Christmas, for us is not a cause for celebration, but a time of sadness and weeping”.

That is why they “call on the regime to set up spaces at Christmas where victims can feel protected and helped”.

“We also call on free countries and human rights institutions, such as the United Nations, the European Union and the United States, to press to build a bridge that allows Cuba and its citizens to live in a state where their rights as human beings are respected”, concluded the statement.