Cuban Christian Dissident Faces 10-Year Prison Sentence Over Facebook Posts Criticizing Regime
by Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Staff
(Worthy News) – The communist regime in Cuba is reportedly seeking a ten-year prison sentence for Alexander Verdecia, a 51-year-old Christian dissident and member of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU), over Facebook posts critical of the government, according to Martí Noticias. Verdecia, who has long denounced poverty and repression in his hometown of Río Cauto, was arrested in February and charged with “propaganda against the constitutional order.”
Verdecia is currently held without a trial date at Las Mangas prison in Bayamo, where reports indicate he endures harsh conditions, including sleeping on cardboard on the floor and receiving inadequate food. His wife, Eliannis Villavicencio, said authorities recently handed Verdecia a document outlining the proposed sentence, though no court date has been set. The couple decided he would represent himself at trial, citing the futility of hiring a lawyer in a system where legal defenders are closely tied to the regime.
“Getting a lawyer is pointless,” Villavicencio told Martí Noticias. “In Cuba, it is worse to think differently than to kill a person. How many criminals are free for lack of evidence, while this innocent man is condemned for asking for freedom and better living conditions?”
Cuban prison officials have further restricted Verdecia’s communication, revoking his phone privileges and allowing only monitored calls. Villavicencio believes this is meant to silence him and prevent reports about the prison’s conditions, which she described as plagued by malnutrition and abuse. “There are many prisoners, both political and common criminals, who have been there for over a year, and the prosecution has not brought them to trial,” she said.
In a plea posted to social media, Villavicencio sought help obtaining a copy of the Cuban Constitution and Criminal Procedure Act to aid Verdecia’s defense. “It is good to be prepared to refute all their lies and nonsense. Freedom and justice for all political prisoners,” she wrote.
Christianity in Cuba, particularly independent churches, faces constant harassment and control under the communist regime. While official statistics report that a majority of Cubans identify as Catholic or Protestant, only state-approved churches are permitted to function openly, and religious gatherings outside government control are often targeted. Independent pastors and Christian activists like Verdecia, especially those associated with movements such as Priests for Change, regularly endure surveillance, job loss, detention, or exile.
Since the Cuban Revolution, the government has worked to suppress religious expression that it views as a threat to socialist ideology. The regime heavily monitors and infiltrates churches, restricts building permits for new houses of worship, and limits the import of Bibles and religious literature. Despite this, underground house churches and unregistered congregations continue to grow, fueled by a deep hunger for spiritual truth and freedom.
Verdecia’s plight highlights this broader persecution. In 2014, he was fired from a state-owned rice company because of his involvement in Priests for Change, a group founded to oppose the regime’s control over Christian institutions. His arrest marks the sixth time he has been sanctioned for his faith-driven activism.
The case underscores the ongoing repression in Cuba, where dissidents continue to face imprisonment and harassment for exercising free expression and advocating for fundamental rights.
Cuba’s Christian community continues to persevere under persecution, providing a beacon of hope to many seeking both spiritual and political liberation.
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