Cuba will release thousands of prisoners as a "humanitarian and sovereign gesture," as it faces continued political pressure from the US.
The Cuban government said Thursday it would release 2,010 prisoners in a move that comes while the Trump administration puts extreme pressure on the island’s government with a suffocating oil blockade.
A statement from the Cuban embassy in the U.S. informed that the freed will include foreign nationals, young people, women, and those aged over 60.
Since returning to the White House, US President Donald Trump has made clear his desire to change Cuba's Communist leadership.
Eligibility criteria:
Cuba holds hundreds of political prisoners behind bars, according to Human Rights Watch, with government critics subject to harassment and criminal prosecution.
Eligibility for the release was based on "a careful analysis" of offenses, along with "their good conduct while in prison, the fact that they had served a significant portion of their sentences, and their state of health," the embassy said.
Moreover, it is the second time that Cuba has announced a prisoner release this year.
Cuba released 553 people in a deal brokered by the Vatican and the U.S. in 2025.
In addition to that, 51 prisoners were set free after talks with the Vatican in March.
Cuba's Communist government, led by President Miguel Díaz-Canel, has been in talks with the Trump administration to try to find an agreement to end the impasse.
Trump has repeatedly suggested that the US could "take" Cuba by force and install a friendlier regime.
But both sides have publicly set out a number of political and economic red lines that would make finding common ground hard.
On the contrary, the Cuban government denies holding political prisoners, while the activist group Prisoners Defended registered 1,214 people imprisoned for political reasons in Cuba as of February.
Referring to that the Cuban authorities provided no details on whether any of those pardoned were protesters convicted and sentenced for terrorism, contempt, or public disorder.
