Cuba to pardon more than 2,000 prisoners amid US pressure

Releasing political prisoners has long been a core demand of the US, which is implementing a strict oil blockade on Cuba.

Cuba’s government says it will pardon 2,010 prisoners as a “humanitarian” gesture.

Their release during Easter’s Holy Week follows pledges made in March to release dozens of inmates as the United States increases pressure on Cuba’s leadership.

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Thursday’s announcement, reported by state media, is the second prisoner amnesty this year during talks with the Trump administration.

The decision “stemmed from a careful analysis of the crimes committed by those convicted, their ‌good conduct in prison, the fact that they had served a significant portion of their sentence and their state of health,” Cuba’s state-run Granma newspaper said.

The Cuban government has consistently rejected any suggestion that it makes decisions under US pressure. But the timing of this announcement coincides with the most intense pressure ⁠campaign applied by Washington in decades.

It comes ⁠the day after Cuba’s top diplomat in Washington publicly invited the US government to ⁠help overhaul its crippled economy as part ⁠of ongoing negotiations that have yet to yield results.

The Trump administration has called for a change of government in communist-run Cuba with the US president musing about “taking” the island.

But the two sides have held talks recently.

“It seems not far-fetched to think that this is a sign that some of the conversation between both governments is advancing. Perhaps slowly, but advancing. To where? Unclear,” Michael Bustamante, chair of Cuban studies at the University of Miami, told the AFP news agency.

“I think we will also have to see who is included in these releases to have a sense of their potential political significance,” he said.

Releasing political prisoners has long been a core US demand in Cuba.

The Cuban government did not identify those who were pardoned nor say what crimes they had committed nor when they would be set free.

It said the individuals being freed include young people, women and prisoners over 60 years old who are scheduled for early release within the next six months to a year.

‘Good will’

The government announced on March 12 that it would free 51 prisoners as a sign of “good will” toward the Vatican, which has often acted as a mediator between Washington and Havana.

The following day, President Miguel Diaz-Canel confirmed talks between US and Cuban officials.

The Cuban presidency said on Thursday that it was the fifth time since 2011 that it had pardoned prisoners, totalling more than 11,000.

It said the decision was “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.”

Foreigners and Cuban citizens residing abroad are among those being pardoned, the presidency said.

The government said those released would not include anyone convicted of murder, sex assault, drug-related crimes, theft, illegal slaughter of livestock and crimes against authority.

The pardons come as Russia announced on Thursday it would send a second oil tanker to Cuba after Trump eased an effective oil blockade to allow entry of a first shipment.

“One is tempted to draw the conclusion or wonder if the Trump administration’s decision to let in a Russian ship … and maybe another one, may or may not be related here,” Bustamante said.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a Cuban-American and vociferous critic of Havana’s government, told Fox News on Tuesday that Cuba needs economic and political reforms.

“You cannot fix their economy if you don’t change their system of government,” Rubio said. “But they’re in a lot of trouble, there’s no doubt about it, and we’ll have more news on that fairly soon.”