The announcement of the pardon for more than 2,000 prisoners in Cuba has raised questions about its possible motivations, amid the recent arrival of Russian oil on the island and the complex geopolitical landscape.
The opposition figure José Daniel Ferrer directly addressed those concerns in a video, where he revealed that even former political prisoners raised the possibility that it might be an undercover exchange.
According to what he reported, he received a call suggesting that the measure might be linked to the United States allowing the arrival of a Russian tanker carrying thousands of barrels of crude oil to Cuba.
However, Ferrer firmly rejected that hypothesis.
"That's impossible," he stated, insisting that neither President Donald Trump nor Secretary of State Marco Rubio "should be deceived or manipulated" by the Cuban regime.
The opposition leader distanced himself from previous episodes, such as the negotiations under the administration of Joe Biden, when —as he recalled— the release of hundreds of prisoners was accompanied by political concessions to Havana.
In contrast, Ferrer insisted that current U.S. policy would not conform to a framework of exchange.
In his opinion, accepting a swap of this kind would be to repeat what he described as a "trade in human flesh," where the regime releases prisoners in exchange for international benefits.
The opposition member also warned that this type of pardons is part of a known strategy.
According to the explanation, after releasing certain inmates, the authorities imprison others again, including activists, young people, and even minors, as part of a repressive cycle.
In that regard, he questioned whether the measure could be presented as a humanitarian gesture, while insisting that the solution does not lie in selective releases, but in the end of the system that creates them.
The Cuban government announced this Thursday the release of 2,010 convicted individuals, citing reasons such as the behavior of the inmates, the time served, and their health status, in the context of Holy Week.
Meanwhile, the coincidence between this announcement, the arrival of Russian oil, and the increasing international pressure on Havana's allies keeps the debate open as to whether this is an internal decision or part of a broader strategic move.
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