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.