The parents were defending their son, who deserted the military service and faces a four-year prison sentence.
14ymedio, Havana, May 23, 2025 — Evangelical pastors Luis Guillermo Borja and Roxana Rojas testified in a military trial for their son and dared to invoke God. This was enough, it seems, for the prosecution to request eight years in prison for both.
Their son, Kevin Lay Laureido Rojas, was forced into military service despite a medical opinion exempting him for psychiatric and orthopedic reasons. Failing to receive his medication in the unit, he fled. Now he faces four years in prison.
The prosecutor did not tolerate the mention of “divine justice” and ordered their immediate arrest
His parents, for declaring that what happened was “an injustice to men and to God,” were accused of contempt and disobedience. The prosecutor did not tolerate the mention of “divine justice” and ordered their immediate arrest. Borja remains in custody and incommunicado. Rojas, the mother, collapsed after the hearing from a pericardial effusion and was admitted to hospital. According to World Christian Solidarity, during her hospitalization she was harassed by a man dressed as a civilian who posed as a nurse.
This Friday, their situation was denounced by the Cuban Observatory for Human Rights (OCDH) and the Alliance of Christians in Cuba (ACC), who described what happened as an intolerable attack on human rights. They also called on international Christian churches, including the Assemblies of God, NGOs and democratic governments, to denounce the situation of the three citizens.
Just a year ago, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla was protesting strongly on X for the inclusion of Cuba in an American report on violations of religious freedom. He claimed that the country had an “exemplary record” in this matter. To reinforce the argument, Caridad Diego, head of the Office of Religious Affairs of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, assured that this freedom was “broad”, since the babalaos (Yoruba high priests) had been able to present their Letter of the Year and the Catholic priests celebrate their masses for peace.
There were 996 incidents against religious freedom documented in 2024 alone
However, in 2024 alone, the OCDH documented at least 996 incidents against religious freedom, from impediments to attending worship to fines for pastors of unrecognized churches and the refusal of religious visits to political prisoners. The Government systematically refuses to grant legal recognition and legal personality to independent congregations, directly affecting the more than 63 entities that make up the ACC .
Military service remains one of the regime’s most controversial practices. Although the Constitution defines it as a “sacred duty”, in practice it has been the scene of medical neglect, abuse, suicide and unexplained deaths. Last weekend, Léster Álvarez shot himself with his own rifle while passing his military service in Ariza prison in Cienfuegos. As in so many other cases, the silence of the uniformed power was absolute.
Campaigns such as “No to military service” promoted by activists and civil society organizations have gained strength in recent years, considering it an oppressive and dangerous system for Cuban youth. None of these voices has been recognized by the State media, but the clamor persists.
The Office of Religious Affairs exercises tight control over what can be preached and by whom
Article 57 of the Cuban Constitution recognizes freedom of religion. But, as in so many other fields, the letter is worth less than the context. The Office of Religious Affairs exercises tight control over what can be preached and by whom. Any religious expression not aligned with official discourse is systematically repressed.
The case of Borja and Rojas shows the growing deterioration in relations between the Church and the State. Some religious leaders-those who support government campaigns, celebrate patriotic events and avoid criticism- still pretend normalcy . But those who raise their voices against abuses, such as the ACC, are being persecuted head-on.
Various religious and civil society organizations inside and outside the country have condemned this new abuse. They do so knowing that the Regime rarely backs down. Although the Constitution is disguised as tolerance, the true sacred book of Cuban power remains Fidel Castro’s compendium of phrases. And in that text there is still a line about the churches that says it all: “They are the fifth column of the counter-revolution.”
Translated by Regina Anavy
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