Cuba’s government announced it will pardon 2,010 prisoners as a “humanitarian” gesture during Holy Week. The move follows pledges in March to free dozens of inmates amid growing pressure from the United States, which has tightened an effective oil blockade on the island.
State media reported Thursday that 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,” citing the state-run Granma newspaper. Officials did not identify the individuals, list their crimes or give exact release dates.
Havana insists it does not act under US pressure, but the announcement comes at a time of unusually intense US measures. It arrived the day after Cuba’s top diplomat in Washington publicly invited the US to help revamp the country’s struggling economy as part of ongoing talks that have produced limited results. Despite Washington’s calls for political change in communist-run Cuba — and President Trump’s provocative remarks about “taking” the island — the two governments have held recent discussions.
Michael Bustamante, chair of Cuban studies at the University of Miami, told AFP the pardons could signal incremental progress in those talks, adding that the political significance will depend on who is included in the releases. Releasing political prisoners has long been a central US demand.
Cuba said the pardoned group includes young people, women and prisoners over 60 who are slated for early release within the next six to 12 months. It also noted that foreigners and Cuban citizens living abroad are among those covered. The presidency said the pardons exclude anyone convicted of murder, sexual assault, drug-related crimes, theft, illegal slaughter of livestock and crimes against authority.
This is the fifth mass pardon since 2011, the presidency said, bringing the total number of pardoned prisoners to more than 11,000. The government framed the timing as consistent with Holy Week observances and “the humanitarian legacy of the Revolution.” In March, Havana freed 51 prisoners in a gesture of “good will” toward the Vatican, which has often mediated between the US and Cuba; President Miguel Diaz-Canel confirmed then that talks with US officials were taking place.
The pardons coincide with Russia’s announcement that it would send a second oil tanker to Cuba after the Trump administration allowed a first shipment in, easing the earlier blockade. Bustamante suggested the US decision to permit Russian deliveries could be linked to the timing of the clemency move.
On US television, Marco Rubio — described in reports as a leading critic of Havana — urged economic and political reforms in Cuba, saying the island “cannot fix their economy if you don’t change their system of government,” and warned more developments were forthcoming.
