Cuba will free 2,010 prisoners as a 'humanitarian and sovereign gesture', its government has announced, as it faces continued political pressure from the US. Those freed will include foreign nationals, young people, women, and those aged over 60, a statement from the Cuban embassy in the US said on Thursday. It said the release was taking place 'in the context of the religious celebrations of Holy Week, which is a customary practice in our criminal justice system'.
Since returning to the White House, US President Donald Trump has made clear his desire to change Cuba's Communist leadership and has blocked oil shipments to the island, causing severe fuel shortages and widespread blackouts. Last week, a Russian-owned tanker carrying an estimated 730,000 barrels of crude oil became the first to dock in Cuba since early January - something Trump said he had 'no problem' with.
Cuba holds hundreds of political prisoners, according to Human Rights Watch, with government critics subject to harassment and criminal prosecution. Eligibility for the release was based on 'a careful analysis' of offences, along with 'their good conduct while in prison, the fact that they had served a significant portion of their sentences, and their state of health', the embassy said.
This is the second time this year that Cuba has announced a prisoner release. In March, 51 prisoners were set free after talks with the Vatican. In 2025, Cuba released 553 people in a deal brokered by the Vatican and the US.
Trump's rhetoric concerning Latin America has pivoted towards Cuba since the US seizure of Venezuela's former President, Nicolás Maduro, in a raid on Caracas in January. Venezuela's interim government has also released political prisoners, a key US demand, though a prisoner rights group says only a third of those promised have been let go.
Cuba's Communist government, led by President Miguel Díaz-Canel, has been in talks with the Trump administration to try to find an agreement to end the impasse. However, both sides have publicly stated numerous political and economic red lines, complicating the path toward cooperation. Trump has suggested that the US could 'take' Cuba by force and install a friendlier regime.
Last week, the World Health Organization warned that severe fuel shortages meant that Cuban hospitals were struggling to maintain emergency and intensive care services. The island has also suffered from rolling blackouts that left millions in darkness and provoked rare public dissent. Russia has announced that it would send a second oil tanker to Cuba, loaded with enough oil to sustain the island's economy for a few weeks.
Since returning to the White House, US President Donald Trump has made clear his desire to change Cuba's Communist leadership and has blocked oil shipments to the island, causing severe fuel shortages and widespread blackouts. Last week, a Russian-owned tanker carrying an estimated 730,000 barrels of crude oil became the first to dock in Cuba since early January - something Trump said he had 'no problem' with.
Cuba holds hundreds of political prisoners, according to Human Rights Watch, with government critics subject to harassment and criminal prosecution. Eligibility for the release was based on 'a careful analysis' of offences, along with 'their good conduct while in prison, the fact that they had served a significant portion of their sentences, and their state of health', the embassy said.
This is the second time this year that Cuba has announced a prisoner release. In March, 51 prisoners were set free after talks with the Vatican. In 2025, Cuba released 553 people in a deal brokered by the Vatican and the US.
Trump's rhetoric concerning Latin America has pivoted towards Cuba since the US seizure of Venezuela's former President, Nicolás Maduro, in a raid on Caracas in January. Venezuela's interim government has also released political prisoners, a key US demand, though a prisoner rights group says only a third of those promised have been let go.
Cuba's Communist government, led by President Miguel Díaz-Canel, has been in talks with the Trump administration to try to find an agreement to end the impasse. However, both sides have publicly stated numerous political and economic red lines, complicating the path toward cooperation. Trump has suggested that the US could 'take' Cuba by force and install a friendlier regime.
Last week, the World Health Organization warned that severe fuel shortages meant that Cuban hospitals were struggling to maintain emergency and intensive care services. The island has also suffered from rolling blackouts that left millions in darkness and provoked rare public dissent. Russia has announced that it would send a second oil tanker to Cuba, loaded with enough oil to sustain the island's economy for a few weeks.
