Cuba Announces Release of 51 Prisoners in Vatican-Linked Gesture

The Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced Thursday night that 51 individuals would be released from the island's prisons in the coming days.

The government stated this action is a gesture of goodwill and reflects close relations with the Vatican.

The specific identities of those to be released were not disclosed, beyond the government's statement that "all have served a significant part of their sentence and have maintained good conduct in prison." This announcement was made hours before Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel was scheduled to speak to the press on national and international issues.

A History of Pardons and Previous Releases

Cuba has a history of granting pardons, with 9,905 inmates released since 2010. Additionally, in the past three years, approximately 10,000 people sentenced to imprisonment have been released.

In January 2025, prominent dissident José Daniel Ferrer was released as part of a government decision to free over 500 prisoners, following discussions with the Vatican. Ferrer subsequently departed Cuba in October 2025 and is now in the United States.

These earlier releases coincided with the Biden administration's stated intent to remove Cuba from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism.

Unanswered Questions on Political Prisoners

It remains unknown whether any of the 51 individuals slated for release are political prisoners.

According to the nonprofit organization Prisoners Defenders, there were 1,214 political prisoners in Cuba as of February 2026.