The Cuban government announced that 2,010 prisoners were pardoned in a “humanitarian and sovereign gesture” during Holy Week, amid continuing diplomatic tensions with the United States.
The Easter pardons — applying to some young people, people over 60, women and foreigners — were the second such move this year after Havana unexpectedly released 51 prisoners in mid-March. The March releases were reportedly the result of diplomatic efforts by the Vatican, which has been acting as a potential mediator between Havana and Washington.
The US has been increasing pressure on Cuba to implement economic and political changes. Cuba, the communist-ruled island nation, has faced a prolonged economic crisis worsened in recent months by a US oil embargo. This week the US allowed a Russian tanker to deliver crude oil to the fuel-starved country, a development whose link to the pardons was not made explicit. Michael Bustamante, chair of Cuban studies at the University of Miami, told AFP it was plausible the moves signaled slow progress in talks between the two governments, though the outcome remained unclear. He added that who was included in the releases would help indicate their political significance.
The government said sex offenders and murderers would not be released, but it was not clear whether any political prisoners were among those pardoned. President Miguel Díaz-Canel said the decisions were based on the nature of the crimes, good behavior in prison, health reasons and time served. He described the action as occurring “within the context of the religious observances of Holy Week — a customary practice within our criminal justice system and a reflection of the humanitarian legacy of the Revolution.”
Cuban government figures put the total freed in five prisoner releases since 2011 at more than 11,000.
The latest pardons come months after the US deposed ex-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and pressured Caracas to make radical changes, including releasing prisoners detained for political reasons and passing an amnesty law. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a Cuban-American and outspoken critic of Havana, has urged similar reforms in Cuba, saying the economy cannot be fixed without changing the system of government and warning that more developments were forthcoming.
Edited by: Karl Sexton