No Progress in Investigation of Attack on Cuban Pastor

April 9, 2012

Local officials in Moa, Cuba have told the family of a Cuban pastor who was violently attacked and left for dead in February that they have no suspects in the case, ASSIST News Service reports. Pastor Reutilio Columbie, 41, was attacked and left unconscious on the street on Feb. 6 while on his way to file a complaint with regional authorities regarding the confiscation of a church vehicle. The only thing taken from him was the document proving his legal ownership of the vehicle. Columbie continues to suffer from dizziness, intense nausea, vomiting, and memory and speech difficulties as a result of the attack. As a result, he is unable to preach at his church or travel outside of Moa. While he has received support from his community, Columbie says local authorities remain intransigent on both the investigation into the assault and the confiscation of his vehicle. Now, with the disappearance of the key document, his ownership of the vehicle will be virtually impossible to prove. "We don't understand why any of this has happened," Columbie's family said. "Everything we did was legal." Human rights organization Christian Solidarity Worldwide is calling on Cuban authorities for a thorough investigation into the entire situation.