The religious leader was detained on June 11 and accused of “public disorder” and “disrespect.”
14ymedio, Havana, September 12, 2026 – Evangelical pastor Alexis Padrón Lorenzo, 58, was released from prison after spending three months behind bars for protesting in Havana against blackouts and the lack of water, the Cuban Observatory for Human Rights (OCDH) reported Friday. The conditions under which he was released are unknown, as is whether he will remain subject to the criminal proceedings opened against him.
Padrón “had been arbitrarily detained since June 10, after expressing his discontent to Government officials in Regla, Havana, over several days without water and electricity,” the Observatory said, adding that the Alliance of Christians of Cuba is accompanying his family. “The OCDH demands that peaceful protest not be criminalized,” it added.
Padrón is leader of the Communion in Faith Church, belonging to the Brethren of Faith denomination of Regla. He and his wife, Roselín Benítez Cruz, have devoted more than 23 years to Christian ministry and founded a congregation of about 50 members in that municipality that combines preaching with social work supporting vulnerable people.
The demonstration took place on the night of June 9. Prisoners Defenders (PD), which included the religious leader on its list of political prisoners, dated his detention to June 11.
Padrón was detained after “peacefully confronting some officials who were attempting to disperse a neighborhood demonstration”
According to the organization, Padrón was detained after “peacefully confronting some officials who were attempting to disperse a peaceful neighborhood demonstration protesting prolonged blackouts and the water shortage.” He told them that they should resign from their positions if they did not know how to govern.
PD recounts that, after the incident, the pastor was followed to his home by State Security agents and Ministry of Interior officers, “who attempted to detain him and, when they were unable to do so, threatened him.”
After several summonses, he went to the police station in the municipality of Regla, where he was arrested without a judicial warrant and held incommunicado for the first 72 hours, according to PD.
Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), a United Kingdom-based organization that defends religious freedom, denounced that he was “arbitrarily detained under charges of public disorder and subjected to physical abuse during interrogations” and specified that his family rejected the accusations.
Cubalex documented a “pattern of harassment against at least four evangelical pastors” that month
Padrón Lorenzo was initially held at the detention center known as El Vivac, in Calabazar, Boyeros municipality, and was later transferred to Valle Grande prison in Havana, accused of “public disorder” and “disrespect,” according to PD.
Cubalex also documented his case in its June human rights report, in which it counted five violations against the pastor. That month, the organization documented a “pattern of harassment against at least four evangelical pastors” that included arbitrary detentions, summonses, and interrogations, and specified that Padrón was physically assaulted by a police officer during the protest.
After a visit by his wife on June 26, PD denounced a “serious deterioration in his physical condition”: Padrón Lorenzo “had lost a considerable amount of weight, had swollen feet, numerous insect bites, and was suffering severe pain resulting from the rheumatoid arthritis he suffers from.”
Kiri Kankhwende, CSW’s Head of External Affairs, demanded “his immediate and unconditional release” in June, and also called on the regime’s authorities to ensure that no religious leader is penalized “for practicing their faith, expressing their opinions, or serving their community.”
Translated by Regina Anavy
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