Cuban authorities began releasing prisoners on Friday following the announcement that 2,010 inmates would be pardoned, marking the second major release in less than a month amid heightened pressure from the United States.
At La Lima penitentiary in east Havana, more than 20 prisoners emerged holding their release documents, some tearful, as they embraced family members who had been waiting since early morning, AFP journalists reported.
“Thank you for this opportunity that they gave us,” said Albis Gainza, 46, who had served half of a six-year sentence for robbery.
“I could not sleep after learning I would be released. This needs to keep going … (and) more are released.”
The Cuban government described the pardons as a “humanitarian and sovereign gesture” to mark Holy Week.
Officials did not explicitly link the move to talks with the United States, but it followed President Donald Trump’s decision to allow a Russian tanker to deliver crude oil to the fuel-strapped island.
“This follows a long pattern where there is a song and dance about how it has nothing to do with negotiations when it clearly does,” said Andres Pertierra, a historian of Cuba at the University of Wisconsin, United States.
The Trump administration has called for reforms in Cuba’s government, and the two nations have held recent diplomatic discussions.
Releasing political prisoners has been a core US demand, but the Cuban government did not publish a list of those pardoned, leaving it unclear if any political detainees were among them.
The US State Department said it was aware of the reports but noted that “it is unclear how many, if any, political prisoners will be released.”
“We continue to call for the immediate release of the hundreds of other brave Cuban patriots who remain unjustly detained,” a spokesperson told AFP.
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Rights group Justicia11J estimates that 775 political prisoners remain in Cuban custody.
Justicia11J said any release provides immediate relief, particularly for families, but warned that it “does not constitute a change in the Cuban State’s repressive policies.”
The group noted that the government had not published a list of those being released.
Cuban authorities said the pardons were based on the type of crime, good behavior, health conditions, and time served.
Individuals convicted of murder, sexual assault, drug offenses, theft, illegal livestock slaughter, and “crimes against authority” were excluded.
Justicia11J expressed concern over the broad category of “crimes against authority,” saying it has been used as a tool of political repression in Cuba.
The government said those being freed include women, young people, and prisoners over 60, with early release scheduled within six months to a year.
On March 12, authorities had freed 51 prisoners as a gesture of goodwill toward the Vatican, which often mediates between Washington and Havana.
Following that announcement, at least 20 political prisoners were reportedly released, according to Cubalex.
Of half a dozen former prisoners interviewed by AFP outside La Lima, none were jailed for political reasons.
Brian Perez, 20, who had been imprisoned for causing bodily injury, called it “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
Damian Farinas, 20, serving nearly three years for robbery, said, “It’s a great blessing. This pardon comes at the right time for many inmates.”