HAVANA, CUBA (ANS) -- A Cuban Evangelical Pastor has been denied the right to appeal his six-year prison sentence by the Supreme Tribunal in Havana.

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) reports that Pastor Omar Gude Perez, a leader in a fast growing network of independent churches called the ‘Apostolic Reformation’, was convicted of “falsification of documents” after trumped up charges were made against him during a summary trial last July.

In a statement to Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) Pastor Gude Perez’s wife said the court’s decision confirmed her belief that her husband’s arrest and imprisonment in May 2008 was orchestrated at the highest levels of government.

CSW says that Pastor Gude Perez was initially charged with Human Trafficking, but a local court threw out the charges ten months later, citing a total lack of evidence. The latest charge was brought against him a full year after his initial detention. The prosecution’s petition also accused the pastor of “counter-revolutionary conduct and attitudes.”

CSW also reports that another key pastor in the Apostolic Reformation network is currently contesting government efforts to evict him from his home and confiscate his property.

Pastor Mario Alvarez has appealed to the Supreme Tribunal to prevent what he believes is the illegal confiscation of his home. At least thirty other church leaders from the same network were arrested and detained in various parts of the country during 2009, and several report that the authorities were threatening to confiscate their homes.

Mervyn Thomas, CSW’s Chief Executive said: “We are extremely disappointed to learn of the Supreme Tribunal’s decision to refuse Pastor Gude Perez’s right of appeal. The number of church leaders arrested recently clearly indicates a government policy to crack down on this independent religious group.

"We urgently call for the immediate release of Pastor Perez and strongly urge the Cuban government to stop legal harassment of the leadership of the Apostolic Reformation.”

CSW is a human rights organization which specializes in religious freedom, works on behalf of those persecuted for their Christian beliefs and promotes religious liberty for all.

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For further information or to arrange interviews please contact Theresa Malinowska, Press Officer at Christian Solidarity Worldwide on +44 (0)20 8329 0045 / +44 (0)78 2332 9663, email theresamalinowska@csw.org.uk  or visit www.csw.org.uk   

** Michael Ireland, Chief Correspondent of ANS, is an international British freelance journalist who was formerly a reporter with a London (United Kingdom) newspaper and has been a frequent contributor to UCB Europe, a British Christian radio station. While in the UK, Michael traveled to Canada and the United States, Albania,Yugoslavia, Holland, Germany,and Czechoslovakia. He has reported for ANS from Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Israel, Jordan, China,and Russia. Michael's volunteer involvement with ASSIST News Service is a sponsored ministry department -- 'Michael Ireland Media Missionary' (MIMM) -- of A.C.T. International of P.O.Box 1649, Brentwood, TN 37024-1649,at: Artists in Christian Testimony (A.C.T.) International where you can donate online to support his stated mission of 'Truth Through Christian Journalism.' If you have a news or feature story idea for Michael, please contact him at: ANS Chief Reporter