Cuba has granted early release to 553 prisoners following a deal mediated by the Holy See and completing an agreement struck with former US president Joe Biden during his days in office. Source: Vatican News.
On January 14, in one of his final official acts, and in the wake of a Vatican-mediated deal with the Cuban government, Mr Biden removed Cuba from a US terrorism blacklist in exchange for an agreement to free 553 prisoners.
The US, the EU, the Catholic Church and rights groups have long pushed the island nation to release hundreds of protesters jailed following anti-government protests in July 2021, the largest since Fidel Castro’s 1959 revolution.
In a statement after the deal, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said, “As part of the close and fluid relations with the Vatican State, I informed Pope Francis of [the decision to free the prisoners] in the spirit of the 2025 Jubilee.”
The deal was overturned by new US President Donald Trump just six days after he was sworn in, but prisoners have continued to be sporadically released.
In February, the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, called the gradual release of the Cuban prisoners, “a sign of great hope” at the start of the Holy Year, and he expressed hope for more “gestures of clemency” from governments in the spirit of the Jubilee.
The vice president of Cuba’s top court said on state television on March 11 that the process was successfully completed.
According to rights groups, opposition activists and a dissident leader are among those released.
However, two dissident artists and a musician co-author of the anti-government protests anthem are still in jail. Observers claim that many of those released are not political prisoners.
According to official figures, about 500 demonstrators who took part in the July 2021 protests have been sentenced, in some cases to up to 25 years in prison.
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Cuba completes release of prisoners following Vatican-mediated deal (By Linda Bordoni, Vatican News)
