Cuban pastors released after charges dropped

Cuban pastors released after charges dropped
Two Baptist leaders imprisoned in eastern Cuba for two weeks have been
released after spurious charges of "illicit financial activity" were
suddenly dropped, according to Cuban church leaders.
Posted: Thursday, October 22, 2009, 9:55 (BST)

Pastors Ruben Ortiz Columbie, 68, and Francisco Garcia Ruiz, 46, were
detained on 3 October while distributing humanitarian aid in Guantanamo
Province.

The two men were held in a Santiago prison and prevented from meeting
church leaders during their imprisonment. Immediate family members were
only allowed one twenty minute visit.

This case comes as part of a wider deterioration in religious liberty on
the island, with some religious leaders becoming regular targets of
government repression. In July Pastor Omar Gude Perez, a national leader
of the Apostolic Ministry Movement, was sentenced to six years in prison
for 'falsification of documents and illicit economic activities'.

The Rev Roberto Rodriguez, the former national director of the
Interdenominational Fellowship of Evangelical Pastors and Ministers, has
been threatened with imprisonment, and subjected to a series of legal
proceedings over the past year, along with members of his family.

More than 30 other pastors across the country have also reported being
arrested and temporarily detained during 2009.

CSW's National Director, Stuart Windsor said: "We are overjoyed to learn
that these two pastors have been freed and are now back with their families.

"We encourage the Cuban Government to also release Pastor Gude Perez and
to cease the harassment of Reverend Rodriguez, ensuring that religious
freedom is respected for people of all faiths in every part of the country."

Cuban pastors released after charges dropped (22 October 2009)
http://www.christiantoday.co.uk/article/cuban.pastors.released.after.charges.dropped/24436.htm