Cuba pardons 2,010 prisoners in ‘humanitarian’ gesture amid US pressure

Cuba’s government announced on Thursday that it was pardoning 2,010 prisoners as a “humanitarian” gesture during Holy Week, after pledging in March to release dozens amid heightened US pressure on Havana.

The major announcement comes days after US President Donald Trump eased a de facto oil blockade of Cuba by allowing a Russian tanker to deliver crude to the fuel-starved island.

The Trump administration has called for change in communist-run Cuba’s system of government and the US president has mused about “taking” the island.

But the two sides have also held talks recently.

“It seems not far-fetched to think that this is a sign that some of the conversation between both governments is advancing. Perhaps slowly, but advancing. To where? Unclear,” Michael Bustamante, chair of Cuban studies at the University of Miami, said.

“I think we will also have to see who is included in these releases to have a sense of their potential political significance,” he said.