The Cuban government will release 2,010 prisoners in the largest release of its kind in years, it announced on Thursday (2), as the island faces increasing pressure from the administration of United States President Donald Trump.
Cuba decided to grant the pardon based on the detainees’ good conduct, their state of health and the nature of the “acts committed,” according to a statement published in Granma, the official newspaper of the ruling Communist Party.
The statement added that the list includes young people, women, people over 60 and foreigners. It does not include inmates who committed crimes such as murder, manslaughter, sexual assault or “crimes against authority.” According to the announcement, this is the fifth pardon granted by the Cuban government since 2011.
According to Human Rights Watch, Cuba regularly detains and persecutes dissidents, including activists, journalists, protesters and political opponents.
Havana has previously carried out large prisoner releases as part of agreements with international actors. In early 2025, Cuba released 553 detainees after negotiations with the United States and the Vatican, in which the Biden administration committed to easing sanctions against the island.
Donald Trump rescinded the agreement after taking office, prompting Cuba to temporarily pause prisoner releases before concluding it in March.
Granma’s statement did not mention the United States in its announcement, attributing the decision to “religious celebrations of Holy Week” as Christians around the world celebrate Easter. However, Cuba has been the target of the Trump administration’s pressure campaign, which has further aggravated the island’s already weakened economy.
Earlier this year, through military action in Venezuela and threats of tariffs on Mexico, the Trump administration halted the flow of oil to Cuba, trying to force the communist-run country to undertake significant political and economic reforms.
Trump has insisted that the Cuban government needs to finally open up the island’s centralized economy before it collapses. He often talks about wanting to “take over Cuba.”
Many of Trump’s political allies, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, are hard-liners on Cuba and have long advocated an overhaul of the country’s communist leadership.
The island is now quickly running out of the oil it still has, used to fuel vehicles and generate electricity, worsening what has been going on for years.
Cuba was already facing prolonged blackouts, but the situation has worsened, with power plants without enough fuel to operate. In March, the country suffered in just one week, leaving its more than 10 million inhabitants without electricity.
Life has practically come to a standstill, with classes suspended at many schools, workers furloughed to conserve energy and flights from some places canceled because Cuba does not have enough jet fuel for long-distance flights.
Earlier this week, Trump allowed one into Cuban waters, breaking the fuel blockade, saying: “They need to survive.” The White House later said this “does not represent a change in policy.”
Since Cuban revolutionaries led by Fidel Castro overthrew the U.S.-backed regime of Fulgencio Batista in 1959, the country has been under a strict U.S. economic embargo, which blocks most commercial activity on the island involving Americans and creates significant legal barriers to new investment.
