Cuba said Thursday that it will release more than 2,000 inmates. File Photo by Ernesto Mastroscusa/EPA-EFE
The Cuban government has announced it will pardon more than 2,000 prisoners, its second such release in less than a month.
The Embassy of Cuba in Washington announced Thursday in a statement that Havana had decided to grant pardons to 2,010 inmates on “humanitarian and sovereign grounds.”
The move was made to coincide with Holy Week celebrations, it said, adding that the gesture is “customary” in the criminal justice system of the Catholic-majority country.
Analysis of the nature of the offenses committed, conduct of the inmate while in prison, time served and their health were taken into consideration, with many of those to be pardoned being either young, women, adults over 60 years of age, foreign nationals and Cubans living abroad, it said.
Excluded were those inmates convicted of crimes such as sexual assault, murder, drug offenses, theft, robbery with violence, being repeat offenders and those who had previously received a pardon and then were convicted of committing new crimes.
Last month, Cuba announced it was to release 51 inmates who had served a significant portion of their sentences.
The move comes as Cuba is facing an energy crisis that began early this year when the Trump administration announced a de facto oil blockade of the island nation.
When it announced the release of inmates last month, Cuba said it followed talks with the Vatican, which has been trying to facilitate talks between Havana and Washington.
