On Thursday, April 2, the Cuban government announced the pardon and release of more than 2,000 prisoners amid increased pressure from the administration of US President Donald Trump on the island. This is reported by UNN with reference to CBS News.
Details
Calling it a "humanitarian and sovereign gesture," the Cuban embassy in the US announced the release of prisoners on the social network "X." It is noted that among those released are young people, women, individuals over 60, Cuban citizens living abroad, and foreign citizens.
According to the embassy, prisoners guilty of various violent crimes were not eligible for this amnesty.
At the same time, it is unknown whether political prisoners were among those released. The non-profit organization Prisoners Defenders counted 1,211 political prisoners in Cuba.
Meanwhile, the Cuban government stated that the mass pardon is the second release of prisoners this year. Last month, a smaller group of 51 prisoners was released.
Additionally
The release of prisoners comes as Cuba experiences at least partial relief from an energy crisis that has paralyzed the island. Earlier this year, the Trump administration threatened to impose significant tariffs on any countries exporting oil to Cuba. This led to fuel shortages as supplies halted for several months.
However, earlier this week, the US allowed a sanctioned Russian-flagged oil tanker to dock in Havana with more than 700,000 barrels of oil.
Russia prepares second oil tanker for Cuba despite US energy blockade02.04.26, 19:13