Cuba announced on Tuesday that it will release 553 prisoners after the United States removed the communist country from its list of terror sponsors. This move has been welcomed by the families of the imprisoned protesters.
In one of his final official acts before Donald Trump’s inauguration next Monday, President Joe Biden has announced that Cuba will be removed from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, according to the White House.
Trump is expected to overturn the move, as he had reinstated Cuba’s terror designation during the final days of his first term in office in 2021.
According to a senior official from the Biden administration, an assessment has been conducted, and there is no available information that justifies labeling Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism.
The official stated that the Catholic Church played a crucial role in negotiating the deal for the release of “political prisoners in Cuba and those who have been unjustly detained.”
The announcement was greeted with joy by the family members of jailed protesters, including Liset Fonseca, the mother of 41-year-old Roberto Perez. Roberto had been sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment, and his mother was relieved to hear the news.
In July 2021, he joined thousands of other Cubans in anti-government protests, motivated by power blackouts and skyrocketing food prices.
Fonseca expressed her heartfelt desire for the freedom of all prisoners, emphasizing that every mother longs for her child to be released from the distress and torment of Cuban prisons. According to Fonseca, these individuals should have never been subjected to such imprisonment in the first place.
The protests resulted in one fatality and numerous injuries, with Havana accusing Washington of orchestrating the unrest.
Official Cuban figures state that around 500 individuals have been sentenced to prison terms of up to 25 years for their involvement in the protests. However, both rights groups and the US embassy suggest that the actual number of people affected is closer to 1,000.
Several individuals have already been released after completing their sentences.
Cuba expressed its approval of Washington’s recent announcement, considering it a positive step forward. However, the country also expressed its disappointment that it continues to be subjected to US sanctions that have been in effect since 1962.
The foreign ministry has announced that a total of 553 individuals who have been imprisoned for various crimes will be released.
The US blockade is being held responsible by Cuba for its most severe economic crisis in decades. This crisis is characterized by scarcities of fuel, food, medicines, and electricity.
During his presidency from 2017 to 2021, Donald Trump implemented stricter sanctions against Cuba, reversing the previous period of relaxation under Barack Obama.
Before taking office, Biden had made promises to change US policy towards Cuba. However, he postponed these plans after the Cuban government cracked down on the protests that took place in 2021.
The poor state of the economy can be attributed to the Covid-19 pandemic, which severely impacted tourism, as well as the government’s economic mismanagement, according to analysts.
Cuba’s President Miguel Diaz-Canel has strongly criticized the US sanctions, labeling them as “genocidal.” He also expressed his country’s readiness to face even more challenging conditions following Trump’s re-election.
Ted Cruz, a member of the US Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee and a Cuban-American, wasted no time in criticizing Biden’s announcement on Tuesday, labeling it as a “clear appeasement of the Cuban regime.”
President Trump has chosen Senator Marco Rubio, a Cuban-American who holds strong views against communism and the left in general, to be his secretary of state.
In a statement released by the White House, it was announced that President Biden will be waiving a portion of the Libertad Act, which serves as the foundation for the US embargo on Cuba.
Biden is set to reverse a policy implemented by the Trump administration known as “National Security Presidential Memorandum 5.” The policy imposed restrictions on financial transactions with specific Cuban entities.
Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro, a leftist leader, and a political party consisting of former FARC guerrilla members, have expressed their support for the recent announcement made by the White House.
