Relations between the United States and Cuba are experiencing a major rebound. On Tuesday, US President Joe Biden removed Cuba from the blacklist of state sponsors of terrorism, a decision described as a “gesture of goodwill” by a senior US official. In response, Havana announced the upcoming release of 553 prisoners, convicted of various crimes.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel declared on X that this release was a “unilateral and sovereign” decision, adding that the detainees concerned will be released “gradually”. NGOs and the American embassy estimate that there are nearly a thousand political prisoners on the island. Havana, for its part, rejects this characterization and accuses the dissidents of being “mercenaries” in the service of the United States.
A diplomatic gesture before a change of power
This initiative comes at a delicate time. In less than a week, Donald Trump is due to return to the White House. The Republican president had, in 2021, placed Cuba back on the blacklist before leaving power. His return could lead to a reinstatement of this measure. Marco Rubio, senator from Florida and future head of American diplomacy, known for his tough stance towards the Cuban regime, has already expressed his opposition to any relaxation of sanctions.
Ted Cruz, senator from Texas, also denounced this decision as an “attempt to undermine the work of the future government”. Despite these criticisms, a senior American official assured that “no one should be detained without reason in Cuba”, recalling that this opinion is widely shared by the two major parties in the United States.
Support from the Catholic Church
The Catholic Church plays a key role in this process. In early January, President Diaz-Canel wrote to Pope Francis to discuss the release of prisoners. This is not the first time that the Church has intervened in Cuban affairs: in 2010, it had already negotiated the release of more than 130 political prisoners, including 75 opponents arrested during the “black spring” of 2003.
To read, our file on Cuba
In parallel with the removal of Cuba from the blacklist, Joe Biden announced two other measures intended to promote negotiations: the suspension of prosecutions for expropriation in Cuba and the lifting of certain financial restrictions.
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