According to a statement from the Cuban Foreign Ministry, the island’s ruler, Miguel Díaz-Canel, informed Pope Francis of the decision “in the first days of January” after “a careful analysis based on the different modalities contemplated.” the law»
Cuba announced this Tuesday, January 14, the release of 553 political prisoners, after the intermediation of the Vatican and after the United States removed the island from the list of countries sponsoring terrorism.
According to a statement from the Foreign Ministry of the Caribbean country, the island’s ruler, Miguel Díaz-Canel, informed Pope Francis of the decision “in the first days of January” after “a careful analysis based on the different modalities that contemplates the law.
This Tuesday, the president of the United States, Joe Biden, removed Cuba from the list of countries that promote terrorism, less than a week after being relieved by Donald Trump.
Biden made this decision to promote the release of several Cuban prisoners as part of a process that is mediated by the Vatican, senior officials from the US administration informed the press.
As is common practice in our legal system, we made the unilateral and sovereign decision to grant freedom to 553 people punished for various crimes.https://t.co/N8SaUymRi1
— Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez (@DiazCanelB) January 14, 2025
*Read also: Biden removes Cuba from the list of countries that promote terrorism
Releases after “careful analysis”
However, the news from the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Minrex) does not, however, mention that the release of the prisoners has a direct link with the decision made by the Democratic administration.
According to the official note, the Cuban Government clarifies that the releases are carried out “on the basis of a careful analysis based on the different modalities contemplated by the legislation, and as part of the fair and humanitarian nature of the penal and penitentiary systems of Cuba. ».
They also assured that “these people will receive their respective benefits gradually” and recalled that, between 2023 and 2024, the Government has released more than 10,000 sanctioned people “with different benefit modalities provided for in the law.”
It is not the first time that the Cuban Government announces the release of thousands of inmates after negotiations in which the Vatican mediates.
*Journalism in Venezuela is carried out in a hostile environment for the press with dozens of legal instruments in place to punish the word, especially the laws “against hate”, “against fascism” and “against the blockade.” This content is being published taking into consideration the threats and limits that have consequently been imposed on the dissemination of information from within the country.
With information from EFE
Post Views: 338