Authorities in the city of Santiago de Cuba demolished a church that has long been a target of the communist regime and arrested a pastor who streamed the demolition live on social media, a human rights group has reported. 
According to the London-based nonprofit Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Cuban State Security brought heavy machinery and bulldozers to the Assemblies of God Church in the Abel Santamaria neighborhood of Santiago de Cuba last Friday and destroyed the church. CSW added that the church has been under threat since 2015 even though the denomination is one of the largest religious groups in Cuba and is legally recognized by the government. Pastor Alain Toledano who lives in the same neighborhood and pastors another church recorded the government attack on the church and broadcast it on Facebook Live through his mobile phone. However, he dropped the phone on the ground as he was approached by men wearing plainclothes. As the video feed was cut, the sound of bulldozers could be heard as members of the church sang in the background. Cuban police then took Toledano, a leader of the unregistered denomination the Apostolic Movement, to the Motorizada Police Station. According to CSW’s report Friday, he is being kept incommunicado.
Cuban authorities have claimed that the demolition was for the construction of train tracks on the site, but CSW sources said the church was the only building in the neighborhood that was destroyed.
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Judith is a believer, a lover of Christ and a Gospel freak person. A passionate gospel blogger and press writer. I work with GospelHitsNaija.net Media, no 1 Gospel music platform.
