The Cuban government announced Thursday it plans to release 51 people from the island’s prisons “in the coming days” amid the Trump administration’s ongoing pressure on the country, multiple outlets reported.
Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement in Spanish that the move is an act of “goodwill” due to the “close and fluid relations between the Cuban state and the Vatican,” ABC News reported on Thursday. The announcement comes as the Trump administration has recently aimed to halt critical oil shipments to Cuba as part of a broader effort to pressure the island country’s government, CBS News reported.
“In the spirit of goodwill, and the close and fluid relations between the Cuban state and the Vatican, with which communication has historically been maintained regarding the review and release of prisoners, the Cuban government has decided to release 51 people sentenced to imprisonment in the coming days,” the Cuban Foreign Ministry said, as reported by ABC News.
The Cuban government did not explicitly state which prisoners it is planning to release, but noted that “all have served a significant part of their sentence and have maintained good conduct in prison,” according to the outlet. The government stated it has granted pardons to a total of 9,905 inmates since 2010.
Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
Cuban President Miguel DÃaz-Canel — a member of the Communist Party founded by Fidel Castro — confirmed recent talks between Washington and Havana during a speech on Friday.
“These conversations are focused on finding solutions to bilateral differences we have between the two nations through dialogue,” DÃaz-Canel said, NBC News reported. The communist leader also noted there are “international factors that have facilitated these exchanges,” according to the outlet.
Still, DÃaz-Canel claimed Friday the dire situation Cuba is currently facing “has to do with the energy blockade” enacted by the U.S, CNN reported. The Cuban president also said it is “a situation for which we have been preparing in advance,” adding that “no fuel has entered the country for three months,” according to the outlet.
“The impact [of the blockade] is tremendous. It is most brutally manifested in these energy issues,” DÃaz-Canel said, per CNN. “This causes anguish among the population.”
President Donald Trump said on March 7 that Cuba’s communist regime is “in its last moments of life.” Trump added that Cuba has “a bad philosophy, they have a bad regime that’s been bad for a long time.”
Additionally, Republican Florida Rep. Carlos Giménez — who fled his native Cuba as a child shortly after Castro’s rise to power — similarly stated on March 6 he thinks the communist regime in his birth country is approaching its end, the Miami Herald reported.
“He [Trump] believes the days are close. I believe the president,” Giménez said, the outlet reported. “If I had to bet, I would say this regime’s days are numbered, and I’m not talking years, I’m talking days.”
On Thursday, Senate Democrats filed legislation that would prevent the U.S. from going to war with Cuba without congressional approval, The Hill reported Friday.
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