More than 2,000 sign a petition demanding the release of the pastor imprisoned by Cuba's communist regime

More than 2,000 people signed a petition demanding the release of a Protestant pastor who was imprisoned by Cuba’s communist regime without trial for participating in peaceful protests that erupted across the country in July.

The British Christian group Christian Solidarity Worldwide submitted the petition with 2,070 signatures to Cuban Ambassador Barbara Montalvo Álvarez at the country’s embassy in London on Thursday. The petition calls for the release of Pastor Rosales Fajardo, who has been held without trial for more than two months after the July 11 protests, which were considered the largest in decades amid continued shortages of medicines and food during the COVID pandemic. 19 .

State Security Agents arrested Fajardo in Palma Soriano. They later transferred him to Boniato Maximum Security Prison, outside the city of Santiago de Cuba, in August.

Hours after the protests began, President Díaz-Canel se addressed the nation on national television, urging government supporters to confront protesters in the streets. He also accused the United States of causing the crisis in Cuba by imposing sanctions.

Fajardo, a 20-year pastor who has led the Monte de Sion church, faces charges that include “disrespect” and “ public disorder,” punishable by a prison sentence of between three and 20 years and was held incommunicado for most of his detention.

“CSW continues with the family of Pastor Lorenzo Rosales Fajardo while they wait for this husband and father to come home,” said CSW Defense Chief Anna-Lee Stangl, saying her group hopes the petition will send “an important message to Cuban authorities that the world is watching them. and that the treatment given to Pastor Rosales Fajardo is totally unacceptable.”

Prison authorities did not allow even his wife, Maridilegnis Carballo, to visit him. He can talk to his family in just a few three-minute phone calls, according to the CSW.

Authorities have warned Carballo that his 17-year-old son, who was arrested with his father but later released, she will face repercussions if she continues to talk about her husband’s situation. “She was also threatened with imprisonment for speaking to international human rights organizations about her husband’s unjust detention,” the group added.

The pastor “has spent more than two months in prison in horrible conditions simply for participating in peaceful protests,” said CSW campaign manager Dave Mance in an earlier statement.

According to