Call for investigation into attack on Cuban pastor

Christian Solidarity Worldwide has called upon the Cuban authorities to investigate an attack that reportedly left a pastor with brain damage.

Pastor Reutilio Columbie was found unconscious in the street several hours after leaving his house in Moa on 6 February.

The pastor had planned to travel to Holguin city to file a complaint against the authorities for confiscating a church vehicle.

The vehicle, bought by Pastor Columbie to transport church members, was seized by the authorities last December without warning or explanation.

It has reportedly been returned to the original owner, who has family ties with an individual in the Central Committee of the Cuban Communist Party.

The Central Committee's Office of Religious Affairs oversees the registration of church property and vehicles.

The attack was preceded by anonymous phone calls telling the pastor and his family to stop their challenge against the confiscation of the vehicle, or else face the consequences.

CSW fears that the attack is linked to Pastor Columbie's decision to take action against the authorities. Keep reading