USCIRF Releases Report on the New Constitution and Religious Freedom in Cuba

Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released a new report titled “Constitutional Reform and Religious Freedom in Cuba.”

Constitutional Reform and Religious Freedom in Cuba – This report analyzes the ways in which Cuba’s newly approved constitution dilutes freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) guarantees compared with the previous constitution. The government of Cuba exercises extraconstitutional control over religious groups, arbitrarily controlling and limiting the exercise of FoRB without regard for constitutional guarantees. This report examines constitutional and legal protections for FoRB and assesses Cuba’s performance under 36 human rights indicators to determine compliance with international human rights law standards. Survey responses from Cuban religious leaders were used to assess the myriad of ways in which the government of Cuba represses religious actors, describing in detail how the State orchestrates campaigns to discredit religious leaders and adherents.

In its 2022 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the U.S. Department of State maintain Cuba on its Special Watch List for engaging in or tolerating severe violations of religious freedom. In 2021, the Cuban government continued to use surveillance, harassment, and ad hoc interpretations of legislation to suppress religious freedom and persecute religious freedom advocates. USCIRF also issued factsheets on Protests in Cuba and Religious Freedom and Santería in Cuba.

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The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected].