Pastor Ramón Rigal and his wife, Ayda Expósito, are in the midst of serving prison sentences because they refuse to send their children to public school in Cuba.

The couple was first arrested in 2017 for homeschooling their oldest child. Homeschooling is illegal in Cuba where education is under the control of the Communist Party of Cuba. The couple faced two trials in 2017, at which time the prosecutor said that homeschooling "is not allowed in Cuba because it has a capitalist base" and that only teachers are trained "to instill socialist values," according to Spanish language Christian newspaper Evangelico Digital.

The couple was sentenced to one year of house arrest which they served.

However, the couple had once again drawn the attention of the authorities as their house arrest had come to a close. The couple had bought plane tickets and planned to leave Cuba this past spring, but were arrested before they could flee.

Rigal was sentenced to two years in prison for homeschooling as well as for leading an unregistered church. Expósito is serving an 18-month prison sentence.

Their children have been split up as a result with the two youngest living with Expósito's parents, and their oldest living with Rigal's parents.

A United States-based organization, Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) is calling on the Cuban government to end its ban on homeschooling and to release the couple. There are currently over 32,000 signatures on the HSLDA petition.