Cuba started to release some prisoners after President Joe Biden announced Tuesday, Jan. 14, that he’s removing the island nation from the list of state sponsors of terrorism. The Catholic church had been negotiating with Cuba’s communist-run government over their release.
Cuba jailed most of the prisoners following unprecedented island-wide government protests in July 2021.
The island nation said it intends to release 553 political prisoners as part of its talks with the Vatican. Cuban officials released more than a dozen people convicted of various crimes, including participating in the 2021 protests, on Wednesday, Jan. 15.
President-elect Donald Trump designated Cuba a state sponsor of terrorism shortly before he left office in January 2021 – five years after President Barack Obama removed it. Biden is now facing pushback from both Republicans and Democrats on the decision.
Trump can reverse Biden’s actions as soon as he takes office next week, though he has not yet indicated if he plans to.