Pastor Arrested in Cuba After Recording and Uploading Bible Teaching Video to YouTube

Pastor Rolando Pérez Lora, an independent Protestant minister, was arrested by political police in Matanzas, Cuba, on March 15. The incident occurred shortly after he uploaded a Bible teaching video to his YouTube channel, Pregonero de Cristo. The arrest took place in a park in Peñas Altas, one of the few public Wi-Fi accessible areas in the region. According to the pastor, this was a weekly practice, with people gathering to listen and some requesting prayer, which his wife, Gelayne Rodríguez Ávila, provided.

The pastor’s wife shared a video of the arrest on social media, stating that they were recording a video in the park when authorities detained Pastor Rolando for uploading a Bible reading to his YouTube channel. In the video, two officers attempt to force him into a patrol car. He reportedly told them, “I have been mistreated for no reason; I have done nothing wrong; this man is mistreating me.” The video also captures the sounds of his young children crying as he was taken away.

The incident quickly gained traction online, with dozens of internet users sharing the video across Facebook accounts. Within 24 hours, the video reached over 300,000 views, prompting widespread concern about the pastor’s whereabouts and condition. The religious leader was taken to the police station in Playa and remained there for three hours before being released.

Pastor Rolando told CSW that he has faced scrutiny from authorities since being ordained in 2011. Before relocating to Matanzas, he led a church affiliated with the Evangelical League in Las Tunas province. He described a history of persecution, including being quoted by State Security, subjected to harassment, and having police patrols stationed at his home. He noted that whenever his ministry engaged in spiritual walks and prayers for the community, they were constantly monitored by the police.

The arrest occurred amid broader social unrest in Cuba, marked by protests following seven consecutive nights of blackouts and severe shortages of food and medicine. On the morning of March 14, protesters in Moron, Ciego de Ávila province, looted and burned the offices of the Cuban Communist Party. This context of civil unrest underscores the broader challenges faced by religious leaders and citizens in the country.

Source: Read the original report (translated from Spanish)