Country claims that “humanitarian gesture” was taken after analyzing the nature of the crimes of those involved
The Cuban government announced the release of 2,010 prisoners through pardons approved by the country’s authorities, as announced by the Cuban embassy in the United States. The measure, described as “humanitarian and sovereign gesture”was adopted after individual analysis of the cases and takes place in the context of Holy Week celebrations and at a time of .
According to the statement, the granting of the benefit followed what is determined by the country’s legislation and the Constitution. The government said the decision considered different criteria. “This humanitarian and sovereign gesture was based on a careful analysis of the nature of the crimes committed, the good conduct in prison, the fulfillment of a significant part of the sentence and the state of health”says the text.
Among the beneficiaries are “young people, women, adults over 60”in addition to foreigners and Cubans residing abroad. The statement also mentions people who were close to achieving benefits such as regimen progression in the coming months.
Authorities declared that a series of crimes fell outside the scope of the measure. “Individuals who committed sexual assault, violent pedophilia, homicide, drug trafficking, robbery with the use of violence or weapons, corruption of minors, crimes against authority, repeat and multi-repeat offenders were excluded”says the statement. Prisoners who had previously received a pardon and committed crimes again were also not included.
The statement also states that this is the second release of prisoners this year and that the measure is recurring. “This is a common practice in our criminal justice system and part of the humanitarian trajectory”says the government, when mentioning the coincidence with Holy Week.
Here is the translation:
According to the North American newspaper, this is one of the largest prisoner releases in years. In March, Cuba after negotiations with the Vatican, which acts as a mediator in dialogues between the country and the United States.
Official data indicate that more than 11,000 people have received similar benefits since 2011. In previous episodes, large-scale releases were associated with pope visits or international negotiations involving the Catholic Church.
Cuba is facing a severe economic crisis, worsened by the suspension of Venezuelan oil shipments imposed by the North American president (Republican Party). Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1990s, Venezuela has become the Cuban regime’s main partner and its main oil supplier.
With the interruption of exports from Caracas to Havana, Cuba faces a serious crisis, with food and medicine. There are difficulties in .
