Cuban 'political police' invoke name of Fidel Castro as deity while arresting Christian activist

Authorities in Cuba have reportedly invoked the name of Fidel Castro as their god while arresting a Christian man for being a member of a dissident group.

Watchdog organization Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) reported on Wednesday that Misael Díaz Paseiro, a member of the Orlando Zapata Tamayo Civic Resistance Front, was arrested in November and charged with "pre-criminal social dangerousness."

Prior to his arrest, state security agents raided his home on Oct. 22, 2017 and confiscated two Bibles, a number of crucifixes and five rosaries.

On Nov. 4, 2017, the "political police" reportedly beat Paseiro, tore the rosary from his neck and told him: "Misael, in addition to being a counter-revolutionary, you are also a Christian. You should look at us, we are revolutionaries and we don't believe in your god. Our god is Fidel Castro."

Paseiro is now serving a three and a half year prison sentence, but he has been denied visits from a priest and access to a Bible since his imprisonment on Nov. 22, 2017.

His wife, Ariana López Roque, was also prevented from receiving pastoral visits after she went on a 19-day hunger strike in protest of the mistreatment of her husband.

CSW reported that Roque has since ended her hunger strike after she was assured that her husband's rights will be respected in prison.

Cuban pastor and rights activist Mario Barroso, who has been arrested many times by the Communist government, noted that it is not uncommon for people in Cuba to invoke Castro's name as a deity.

He explained that invoking the name of the deceased dictator is the "strategy of some people in Cuba to cover crimes and corruption."

"Invoking Fidel Castro in Cuba helps cover acts of corruption and even crimes. This proves that the followers of [Castro as a God] are not really so adept as Fidel himself but rather at the benefits that are covered by invoking him," he told The Christian Post.

"Deep down they are imitating Fidel with this behavior since Fidel Castro was like that too: an opportunist, a blackmailer. So the believers in Fidel Castro act in the image and likeness of their god, Fidel. They are faithful followers of the evil example of their god," he added

Barroso, who came to the U.S. with his family as refugees in 2016, estimated that five percent of those who invoke Castro's name really adore the dictator, while the other 95 percent are mere "opportunists who imitate Fidel's bad example."

CSW reported that violations of freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) in Cuba remains high in 2017. A new report released by the watchdog group indicated that there have been a total of 325 violations over the course of the year.

The organization noted that the latest figure is significantly lower compared to the figures in 2015 and 2016, when 2,000 churches from one denomination were threatened with confiscation or demolition. However, it contended that the number remains high and is consistent with the general trend of a steady increase in FoRB violations since 2011.

Church leaders have complained about consistent harassment and surveillance from officials while the government continued its efforts to restrict public religious events. On one occasion, the government interrupted and stopped an inter-denominational worship event in eastern Cuba even though it received advance permission from local authorities.

Dozens of human rights and pro-democracy activists are temporarily detained each week to prevent them from attending Sunday morning Mass and other mid-week events, according to CSW.