Overview
- Cuba’s Foreign Ministry said the releases will occur in the coming days and did not name those selected or indicate whether any are political detainees.
- The Holy See confirmed recent discussions with Cuban authorities about prisoner releases, echoing its past role in facilitating such agreements.
- Officials said all 51 have served a significant portion of their sentences with good conduct, noting 9,905 pardons since 2010 and about 10,000 early releases in the past three years.
- President Miguel Díaz-Canel acknowledged discreet contacts with U.S. officials and cautioned that any agreement remains far off in the initial phase.
- Díaz-Canel cited an acute energy crisis, saying no fuel ships have arrived for three months, as rights groups report 1,214 political prisoners and recall earlier Vatican-facilitated releases such as that of José Daniel Ferrer.