AOG pastor, wife detained in Cuba, facing 8 years in prison
Detention ordered for referencing God, divine justice
Two Assemblies of God pastors in Cuba, Luis Guillermo Borjas and his wife, Roxana Rojas, were detained this week after invoking their religious beliefs during their son’s military tribunal.
Prosecutors are seeking an eight-year prison sentence for the couple, who face charges of disrespect and disobedience to authorities.
The incident occurred in Nueva Gerona, Isla de la Juventud, where the couple resides, according to the U.K.-based group Christian Solidarity Worldwide.
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They had been summoned to a military tribunal after their son, Kevin Laureido Rojas, fled a military facility. Although Kevin reportedly had a medical exemption from compulsory military service due to psychiatric issues, he had been taken by force to a base.
At the tribunal, the pastors presented official documents from a medical commission supporting their son’s exemption. When the military prosecutor accused them of submitting false evidence, Pastor Borjas responded by saying the officials would be accountable to God’s justice.
The prosecutor then ordered their immediate detention, citing the illegality of referencing God or divine justice in a military court.
Borjas remains in custody at a local police station. His wife was hospitalized after collapsing later that night. While in hospital, she was reportedly harassed by a man in civilian clothing who falsely identified himself as a nurse.
The couple’s trial is set for June 9. Both are affiliated with the Assemblies of God, a denomination that holds legal status in Cuba.
CSW has called for the charges to be dropped and for Borjas to be released, describing the legal action as unjust and urging international pressure on the Cuban government.
Religious freedom in Cuba is tightly regulated, with the Communist dictatorship controlling all recognized religious institutions and requiring official registration for legal operation. Unregistered groups often face surveillance, harassment and restrictions on worship, assembly and religious expression.
Cuban authorities recently barred exiled Pastor Alain Toledano Valiente from returning to the country to be with his adult daughter, who is undergoing surgery for advanced breast cancer. The government has enforced a travel ban against Toledano Valiente since his forced departure in 2022. A leader of the unregistered Apostolic Movement, he had appealed for permission to return, stating that her life was again at risk.
In January, Cuban Pastor Lorenzo Rosales Fajardo was released from prison as part of a mass amnesty, despite not having completed his eight-year sentence for participating in peaceful protests in 2021. He was among 553 political prisoners freed following the U.S. decision to remove Cuba from a key terror watchlist — a move that was criticized by both Democrats and Republicans, who say that Cuba enables groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah.
