Christian Father Imprisoned for Homeschooling

“A Cuban Evangelical pastor sentenced to two years in prison for homeschooling his children says his family has endured ‘psychological pressure and a war on behalf of authorities’ for refusing to allow the Castro regime to indoctrinate his children into communist ideology. His remarks form part of a petition to the Organization of American States (OAS) for a precautionary measure protecting Rigal and his wife, Ayda Expósito--who was sentenced to 1.5 years in prison for the same crime of ‘acts contrary to the normal development of a minor.’ Homeschooling is illegal in Cuba and legal schools are of notoriously low quality, prioritizing the development of submissive citizens over life and professional skills. The Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), a nonprofit advocacy group defending the right to home school, and the Global Liberty Alliance, a legal defense fund dedicated to defending the defenders and advancing justice in places such as Communist Cuba, filed the petition for a precautionary measure on behalf of the Rigal family. ‘There are no guarantees of due process or a state of rights in Cuba and, therefore, there are no legal or other avenues that allow for denouncing [crimes] because the courts, as well as the police and all other authorities are under the control of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC),’ the application reads. The couple’s two children, Ruth and Joel, have been forced to matriculate at their local government school in Guantánamo. Cuba, a nominally Marxist atheist state, has consistently moved to repress the religious rights of its citizens. According to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), which publishes an annual global report on religious persecution, Cubans regularly face ‘harassment campaigns targeting religious leaders and activists who advocated for stronger religious freedom protections. While it is difficult to track these cases, one organization reported that 194 individuals were imprisoned or detained because of their religious beliefs and activities between July 2017 and April 2018,’ its annual report for 2019 read.”

“Christian Father,” Breitbart, May 20, 2019

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