CUBA · HUMAN RIGHTS
Cuban authorities forced evangelical pastor Rolando Pérez Lora out of Havana and back to his home province of Las Tunas on Saturday, 7 November, rights activists say. Other activists held in recent days, including Christian activist Anthony Martínez, have since been released.
Key Facts
- Who Rolando Fidel Pérez Lora, an evangelical pastor known online as “Herald of Christ” (Pregonero de Cristo).
- What Activists say he was sent from Havana to Las Tunas, in eastern Cuba, on 7 November.
- Released Activists say Christian activist Anthony Martínez was released after more than 20 hours in custody.
- Not confirmed Cuban authorities have not commented, as far as we found, and accounts differ by a day on the date.
- For US readers Mike Hammer, who heads the US diplomatic mission in Havana, publicly took up his case in April.
- Prediction markets Polymarket, a betting market, gives President Miguel Díaz-Canel a 4% chance of leaving power by 31 December (9 November, 1:05 a.m. ET).
- Power Index Cuba ranks 14th of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 22.5 points (November 2026 edition).
This story is part of our coverage of the Cuba US tensions. Who backs Havana, the blackouts, the embargo vote and what it means for travellers are in our dossier.
What We Know About the Transfer
Pérez Lora left Havana at about 7:00 a.m., fellow activist David Espinosa wrote on social media, and his wife managed to speak with him. Some activists say he was first held for hours at Villa Marista, the headquarters of State Security, Cuba’s political police, in Havana, but that is reported and not confirmed.
Activists say he was warned of prison if he kept up his activism. The Cuban government has not commented on the case.
Why a Havana Address Matters
Cuba’s Decree-Law 217 of 1997 requires official approval to settle in Havana. Cubalex, a Cuban legal-aid group, says officials apply the rule selectively against dissidents and journalists.
Pérez Lora reportedly keeps an official address in Las Tunas but lives with his wife and children in Alamar. Alamar is a large housing district on Havana’s eastern edge.
Other Activists Were Released
Christian activist Anthony Martínez was released on Saturday, 7 November, after more than 20 hours in detention in Guanajay, a town in Artemisa province, activists said. Karel Daniel Hernández Bosques, of Out of the Box Cuba, a Cuban civic group, was also released after questioning in Havana, activists said.
The Cuban Human Rights Observatory (OCDH), an independent monitor, counted 387 repressive acts in October. It says 3,438 acts so far this year already exceed the 3,179 it recorded in all of 2025.
Earlier Arrests and US Attention
Police detained Pérez Lora for about three hours in a park in Peñas Altas, a town in Matanzas province, in March after he posted a Bible lesson on YouTube. Mike Hammer, who heads the US diplomatic mission in Havana, publicly raised his case in April and said he had been arrested for praying in public.
What It Means for You
Because a US diplomat has already spoken publicly about this pastor, further US comment on religious freedom in Cuba is possible. Readers with family or church ties in Las Tunas or Havana can watch whether Pérez Lora is allowed to return to his wife and children in the capital.
The case sits beside the island’s long power cuts. We track them in our report on the eastern grid failures and in our guide to who holds power in Cuba.
What Is Not Known
It is not known whether Pérez Lora has reached Las Tunas, whether he faces charges, or whether he may return to Havana. Reports differ by a day on the transfer, with one account implying Friday, 6 November, and the threats come from activists and family sources, not officials.
What Prediction Markets Say
Polymarket, a crypto-based prediction market, gives President Miguel Díaz-Canel a 4% chance of leaving office by 31 December (9 November, 1:05 a.m. ET). A separate market on a US strike on Cuba by that date shows 10%.
Why we show this: prediction markets turn real-money bets into a live probability that moves within minutes of the news, which is why investors, campaigns and newsrooms in the United States now follow them closely. We show them next to polls and official results, never instead of them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Rolando Pérez Lora?
Rolando Fidel Pérez Lora is an evangelical pastor and activist known online as “Herald of Christ”, the name of his YouTube channel. His official address is in Las Tunas, but he reportedly lives in Havana.
Where was the pastor sent?
Activists say he was sent from Havana to Las Tunas, his home province in eastern Cuba, on Saturday, 7 November. Cuban authorities have not confirmed this, and one report gives Friday.
Were other detained Christians released?
Yes, according to activists. Christian activist Anthony Martínez was released on Saturday, 7 November, after more than 20 hours in custody.
Why can Cuba move people out of Havana?
Decree-Law 217 of 1997 requires official approval to live in Havana. Cubalex says it is applied selectively against dissidents and journalists.
Sources: Cuba Decree-Law 217 of 1997; Cuban Human Rights Observatory (OCDH) monthly reports; Cubalex, legal-aid group; statements by activists David Espinosa and Mauro Reigosa on social media (6 to 8 November 2026); US Embassy Havana; Polymarket market pages polymarket.com/event/miguel-daz-canel-out-as-leader-of-cuba-by-june-30 and polymarket.com/event/us-strike-on-cuba-by (read 9 November 2026).
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated AI newsroom. Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief. How we use AI · Report an error
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