In a heart-wrenching situation, a Cuban pastor exiled in the United States finds himself pleading to return to his homeland to be with his critically ill daughter. As she battles advanced breast cancer, her need for another surgery has intensified the urgency of the situation.
Pastor Alain Toledano Valiente, a figurehead in Cuba’s unregistered Apostolic Movement, has voiced his distress on social media, highlighting the dire circumstances of his daughter, Susana Toledano Benitez. Through a video on Facebook, he implored the Cuban authorities to allow him entry into the country, denouncing what he perceives as political manipulation during his family’s ordeal.
“Her life is at risk once more,” Toledano declared, emphasizing his demand to “enter my country and to be with my family.”
Since being exiled in 2022 due to persistent harassment by Cuban State Security, Toledano has been barred from returning to Cuba. The ultimatum he received on June 25, 2022, was stark: leave within 30 days or face indefinite imprisonment. Consequently, he and his immediate family were granted emergency humanitarian entry into the United States a month later.
Despite repeated attempts, Toledano has been unable to fly back to Cuba, even during family crises, such as the funeral of a close relative. He has been informed of a no-entry order against him, enforced by the Ministry of the Interior’s State Security Department.
While his younger children accompanied him to the US, his two adult daughters, including Susana, were left behind in Cuba. Shortly after this separation, Susana’s cancer diagnosis came to light, exacerbated by the nation’s medical shortages, leaving her in a race against time for her upcoming surgery.
Anna Lee Stangl, Director of Advocacy for CSW, has criticized the Cuban government for its actions, stating: “The Cuban government is apparently not satisfied with having forced Alain Toledano Valiente and his wife and two younger daughters into exile. The authorities continue to inflict punishment on him and his family for the crime of having led a religious group that the government refused to register, forcibly separating them even during moments of crisis.”
Stangl urged President Miguel Díaz-Canel and Minister of the Interior Lázaro Álvarez Casas to rescind the travel ban and permit Toledano to be with his daughter during her medical treatment.
The Apostolic Movement, a network of charismatic Protestant churches, has long endured scrutiny and pressure from the Cuban government, which has denied the group legal recognition. Toledano’s saga underscores the use of legal and bureaucratic measures to suppress not only religious freedom but also the fundamental right to family unity in emergencies.
As Susana prepares for her surgery, her father remains exiled, far from the country he considers home. In his video message, Toledano pleaded, “You must stop playing politics. You must stop playing with the lives of Cubans and the rights of Cubans.”
This article was originally written by www.christiantoday.com
