No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeCubaCuba frees 30 political prisoners

Cuba frees 30 political prisoners

HAVANA, Cuba – At least 30 Cuban political prisoners have been released in the last 48 hours, dissident leaders said Thursday, as Cuba moves towards normalizing ties with the United States.

Washington and Havana announced a historic bilateral rapprochement in mid-December in which Cuba agreed to free 53 political prisoners as part of a deal to end a five-decade standoff with the United States.

“So far we’re counting a total of 30 releases, including 24 from the UNPACU,” said José Daniel Ferrer, leader of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU), a dissident group based in the communist island’s east.

Elizardo Sánchez, a prominent dissident from the Cuban Human Rights and National Reconciliation Committee, said his group had counted more than 30.

The releases are occurring “at a trickle and should continue tomorrow,” he told AFP, adding that the prisoners came from several provinces.

Both groups confirmed Wednesday that 18-year-old dissident twin brothers had been freed, one day after the U.S. State Department said Cuban authorities had freed some of the 53 prisoners.

But State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki neither specified how many prisoners were freed nor their names, and Havana has yet to comment on the sensitive matter.

For decades Cuba has accused dissidents of being U.S. “mercenaries.”

Several days after the historic reconciliation, President Raúl Castro referred to them as “a few hundred individuals who receive money, instructions and oxygen from the outside.”

At the time of the rapprochement, Cuban dissidents said some 100 political prisoners were languishing in jail.

Trending Now

Costa Rica Identified as Key Maritime Route for Cocaine Trafficking

Costa Rica appears among the main maritime and aerial routes for cocaine trafficking between South and North America, according to the World Drug Report 2025 published...

Prisma Dental in Costa Rica Keeps Customers Happy and Smiling

I am 81 years old and have had teeth removed, bridges, and cavities fixed several times to sustain my ability to eat and function....

Alligator Alcatraz: Trump’s Everglades Migrant Camp Draws Protests and Criticism

US President Donald Trump toured a new Florida migrant detention center dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz" on Tuesday, boasting about the harsh conditions and joking that...

Honduras Seizes $2 Million, Gold-Plated Pistols in Drug Raid

Honduran authorities struck a blow against drug cartels, seizing over $2 million in cash, war rifles, and flashy gold-plated pistols in Copán, a northwest...

Guatemala Offers Asylum to Nicaraguan Migrants Deported by U.S.

Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo announced on Friday that his country will grant asylum to Nicaraguan migrants deported by the United States who do not...

Costa Rica Court Moves to Lift President Chaves’ Immunity

Costa Rica’s Supreme Court of Justice on Tuesday asked Congress — for the first time in the history of this country with a well-established...
spot_img
Costa Rica Tours
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica