USCIRF Releases New Report about Santería in Cuba

Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released the following factsheet on the Santería tradition in Cuba:

Factsheet on the Santería Tradition in Cuba - This factsheet provides a brief overview of the traditions of the Santería community in Cuba and highlights the religious freedom violations that community experiences. Santería is a syncretic religion from Cuba that incorporates elements of Catholicism with the religion of the Yoruba people from West Africa. An estimated 70 percent of Cuba’s 11 million people perform some type of Afro-Cuban practice, including many of the country’s Catholics. Despite the religion’s prevalence, the Cuban government frequently violates the freedom of religion or belief of independent Santería communities in a range of ways, including ongoing harassment, attempts to co-opt the faith for political purposes, and restrictions on members’ ability to worship in private homes. Members of unregistered Santería communities, particularly the Free Yorubas, are particularly vulnerable and face ongoing threats of criminal sanctions. These violations are emblematic of the tactics used by the Cuban government to control faith and suppress independent religious communities.

In its 2020 Annual Report (also available in Spanish), USCIRF recommended that the U.S. State Department place Cuba on its Special Watch List (SWL) for its ongoing and systematic religious freedom violations. In December 2020, the State Department followed this recommendation.

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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] .

In recent years, northern Iraq has become a battleground for Turkish armed forces and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). In June 2020, Turkey escalated their attacks in the region, announcing military operations Claw-Eagle and Claw-Tiger that included airstrikes near Sinjar. These attacks have been particularly damaging to the traumatized Yazidi community, who are victims of genocide by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. Reports indicate that Turkey is planning military operations in Sinjar, instilling fear in the already vulnerable Yazidi community.

Joining us today to discuss these developments is USCIRF Commissioner Nadine Maenza, who recently traveled to the region to get a deeper understanding of conditions on the ground. She is concerned that what is happening in Sinjar will mirror conditions in Afrin, a city in northern Syria that was occupied by the Turkish military in 2018.

Featuring:
Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRF
Nadine Maenza, Commissioner, USCIRF

USCIRF's hearing on "Safeguarding Religious Freedom in Northeast Syria" from June 2020 is mentioned in this episode and is available here.