Cuba’s government announced a pardon for 2,010 inmates as a “humanitarian” measure to coincide with Holy Week. State media said the decision followed a review of the convictions, inmates’ behavior, time served and health; officials did not identify those covered, list specific offences for each person or give exact release dates.
Havana said the group includes young people, women, prisoners over 60, foreigners and Cubans living abroad, and that many are expected to be released within six to 12 months. The presidency said certain categories are excluded from the measure, including those convicted of murder, sexual assault, drug-related crimes, theft, illegal slaughter of livestock and crimes against authority.
Officials framed the move as consistent with a humanitarian tradition and the timing of Holy Week. It is the fifth large-scale pardon since 2011 and brings the total number of pardoned prisoners to more than 11,000, the government said.
The announcement comes amid heightened U.S. pressure on the island, including steps that Havana describes as an effective oil blockade. Cuba denies acting in response to U.S. pressure, but the pardon follows other gestures and conversations between the two governments. In March, Havana freed 51 inmates in what it called a goodwill move toward the Vatican; President Miguel Díaz-Canel has confirmed talks with U.S. officials have been taking place.
Michael Bustamante, chair of Cuban studies at the University of Miami, told AFP the clemency could reflect incremental progress in those discussions, though he said the political impact will hinge on whether political prisoners are among those released. U.S. authorities have long demanded the liberation of political detainees.
The pardons also coincide with developments around fuel deliveries to Cuba. Russia announced it would send a second oil tanker after the U.S. permitted an earlier shipment, easing what had been an effective blockade; some analysts have linked the timing of the pardons to those diplomatic and logistical shifts.
On U.S. television, Senator Marco Rubio, a prominent critic of the Cuban government, urged economic and political reforms, saying the island cannot fix its economy without changing its political system and suggesting further developments are likely.
The Cuban presidency did not provide names or schedules for the releases, and details about which prisoners will benefit remain limited. Observers say the political significance of the measure will depend largely on who is included and whether any political detainees are released.