The Cuban government has announced the release of hundreds of detainees. This is a direct reaction to the US government's decision to remove the socialist country from its list of terrorist countries.
Following the announcement by a US government representative that Cuba would be removed from the US list of terrorist countries, Havana has spoken of the release of hundreds of prisoners. President Miguel Diaz-Canel announced a decision "to grant freedom to 553 people convicted of various crimes," the Cuban Foreign Ministry said.
According to the Cuban Foreign Ministry, the release will be gradual. The names of the Cuban prisoners who will be released are not known at this time.
Havana welcomed the US announcement of the removal of the terrorist list as a step in the right direction. However, the US blockade against his country remains in force, said Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez, referring to the massive US embargo imposed on the communist Caribbean state since 1962.
According to a government official, US President Joe Biden had previously decided to remove Cuba from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism. As the government representative in Washington said on Tuesday, this "gesture of goodwill" should help negotiations for the release of a "significant number of political prisoners".
It is hoped that the release will occur before Donald Trump, whose Republican Party traditionally takes a hard line against the authorities in communist Cuba, takes office next Monday.
Four years ago, Trump placed Cuba on the US list of state sponsors of terrorism, which also includes Syria, Iran and North Korea. Once in office, he could immediately reverse Biden's decision.
The decision to release the prisoners is part of an agreement brokered by the Catholic Church. It mainly concerns people arrested during the anti-government protests of the summer of 2021 in Cuba.
According to official figures, around 500 people have been sentenced in Cuba to prison terms of up to 25 years for their participation in the protests of July 11 and 12, 2021. These were the largest demonstrations against the Havana government since the Cuban Revolution of 1959. DW (A2 Televizion)
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