British Humanitarian Aid Container Seized by Cuban Authorities

A container of humanitarian aid sent to the Evangelical Church of Cuba "En Jesucristo Libres" by the London-based Christian organization International Aid Trust was confiscated by the Cuban regime due to alleged irregularities, according to a report from the independent media outlet CubaNet.

The container, which was seized by the Department of Attention to Religious Institutions and Fraternal Associations, included a generator, 15 Singer sewing machines, three electric lawn mowers, food, clothing, shoes, household appliances, mattresses, musical instruments (guitars, ukuleles, violins, flutes, tambourines, keyboards, electric drums, wired microphones), toys, wheelchairs, crutches, and walkers, as cited by the report.

An analyst from the department, named Ignacio Valdivia O’Farrill, stated in an audio message directed at the religious organization’s leadership, which CubaNet accessed, that "the confiscation of the container is a sovereign decision of the Cuban state." Valdivia O’Farrill mentioned certain procedures for the reception of goods. "There is an approved procedure that involves accepting or rejecting goods entering the country based on their origin, characteristics, and objectives. When some of these things do not align with the approved criteria, the state can decide to confiscate them, as was the case here," he added.

According to this official, the donation, valued at $6,552 including shipping costs, had "many discrepancies in this importation process by those who handled the procedures." However, he failed to specify what these supposed discrepancies were and reiterated the firmness of the decision to confiscate, whether justified "with documents or without documents."

The shipment, which was made last February with donations from religious individuals in the United Kingdom, arrived at the port of Mariel and remains there currently. Sources from the receiving church stated that the shipment met the requirements set by Cuban Customs.

Appeal for International Intervention

The Reverend Bernard Cocker, founder and CEO of International Aid Trust, sent a letter dated June 4 to the UK Ambassador to Cuba, Mr. George Hollingberry, requesting assistance to "establish constructive cooperation with Cuban officials and effectively implement humanitarian projects for the benefit of the Cuban people."

In the letter, Reverend Cocker described the situation at the port of Mariel as "regrettable" due to the retention of this container, which contains necessary items for the Cuban population, currently mired in a crisis of shortages and lack of basic products. The formal reason given by Customs officials was that "the cargo contained prohibited items," although the "humanitarian shipment only includes essential goods to help the needy in Cuba, such as clothing, food, wheelchairs, mattresses, footwear, baby food, toys for children, etc.," he stated in his letter.

The Patmos Institute denounces on its blog that this is not the first time such an incident has occurred with religious institutions. "Back in 2020, we reported the theft of four containers that had also been sent to Cuba, collected by Cubans in what was called 'Solidarity Among Brothers,' through a church in the USA that sent them to another church in Cuba with the aim of distributing them to the Cuban people through a network of pastors and churches waiting for them," they noted.