To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 20 December 2018 (HL12125), what recent assessment they have made of the standard of protection for freedom of religion or belief in Article 15 of Cuba’s draft constitution and the provision for protecting freedom of conscience, including in Article 59.
Answered on
21 January 2019
The most recent draft version of the new constitution now addresses freedom of religion in Articles 15 and 57 and freedom of conscience in Article 54. However, in spite of constitutional protections in the present constitution and the draft new constitution, we remain concerned about how effectively these freedoms are protected in reality. Religious expression is still closely regulated and violations against freedom of religion or belief still occur in Cuba. We hope more will be done to ensure these rights and freedoms are protected when the new constitution comes into force. The UK will continue to monitor human rights in Cuba and address concerns through bilateral engagement with Cuba and multilateral human rights fora.