The Cuban government announced it has pardoned 2,010 prisoners during Holy Week, calling the measure a “humanitarian and sovereign gesture” as tensions with the United States continue.
The Easter pardons applied to selected groups including some young people, people over 60, women and foreign nationals. This was the second round of releases this year, following an unexpected mid-March release of 51 inmates that Cuban officials and some reports said was influenced by diplomatic efforts involving the Vatican, which has been positioned as a possible mediator between Havana and Washington.
Washington has pressed Cuba for economic and political reforms while the island faces a deepening economic crisis, which officials say has been exacerbated by U.S. restrictions. Separately this week a Russian tanker delivered crude oil to Cuba after U.S. authorities permitted its passage; Cuban officials did not link that shipment to the pardons.
Michael Bustamante, chair of Cuban studies at the University of Miami, told AFP the pardons could plausibly signal slow progress in behind-the-scenes talks between the two governments, but he cautioned that the ultimate significance depended on who was included in the releases.
Cuban authorities said the pardons excluded sex offenders and people convicted of murder, and they did not clarify whether political prisoners were among those freed. President Miguel Díaz-Canel said decisions were based on the nature of the crimes, good behavior in prison, health considerations and time served, and framed the action as taking place “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.”
Official figures say more than 11,000 people have been freed in five rounds of pardons since 2011.
The move comes amid broader U.S. pressure in the region on issues including political detentions. U.S. politicians, including Cuban-American Senator Marco Rubio, have urged reforms in Cuba, arguing that the island’s economic problems cannot be resolved without political change and suggesting further developments may follow.