After being taken off the US terror list, Cuba will release more than 550 detainees

INN/Cuba, @Infodeaofficial

In an agreement praised by families of demonstrators who were imprisoned, Cuba announced Tuesday that it will release 553 detainees in retaliation for Washington removing the communist nation from its list of terror sponsors. In one of his final official actions before Donald Trump takes office on Monday, the White House announced that President Joe Biden was taking Cuba off the list of states that sponsor terrorism.

Trump, who restored Cuba’s terror designation in the last days of his first term in 2021, is expected to reverse the action. A senior Biden administration official told reporters, “An assessment has been completed, and we do not have information that supports Cuba’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism.” In order to free “political prisoners in Cuba and those who have been detained unjustly,” the agreement was reached with the assistance of the Catholic Church, the official continued.

The announcement was welcomed by relatives of protestors who were arrested, such as Liset Fonseca, mother of Roberto Perez, 41, who received a 10-year prison sentence. In July 2021, he and thousands of other Cubans participated in anti-government demonstrations spurred by power outages and skyrocketing food costs.

“Every mother of a prisoner wants her kid to be free and escape the agony and horror that are Cuban prisons. Fonseca said AFP, “They should never have been in prison.” Havana accused Washington of coordinating the protests, which resulted in one fatality and numerous injuries.

Rights organizations and the US embassy claim that the number is closer to 1,000, but official Cuban data indicate that about 500 people received sentences of up to 25 years in prison for their involvement. After completing their sentences, some have already been released.