Cuba Prisoner Release
FILE - Cuba's President Miguel Diaz-Canel attends the 17th annual BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro, July 6, 2025.
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Cuba’s government says it will release 51 people from prisons in an unexpected move. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the release in the upcoming days stems from a spirit of goodwill and close relations with the Vatican. The government did not identify who it would release, except to say that “all have served a significant part of their sentence and have maintained good conduct in prison.” In 2025, prominent dissident José Daniel Ferrer was part of a release that included more than 500 prisoners following talks with the Vatican. Ferrer left Cuba and is now in the United States. It wasn’t immediately known if any people set to be freed in the latest release are political prisoners.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel says his government has held recent talks with the U.S. His comments on Friday mark the first time the Caribbean country has confirmed speculation about active communication with the Trump administration which has been openly hostile toward the communist government. Díaz-Canel said the talks were aimed at finding solutions to differences between the two nations. Cuban officials have bitterly complained about a U.S. oil blockade on the island that they blame for severe energy shortages. Cuba's western region was hit by a major blackout last week that has left millions without power.
