The Cuban regime released three American citizens this Saturday who were serving sentences for common crimes on the island, as part of the mass pardon of 2,010 prisoners announced on Friday.
According to verified sources cited by Martí Noticias, the three Americans were not political prisoners but rather convicted for common reasons. On his social media, journalist Mario J. Pentón reported that they were released as part of this amnesty declared by the Cuban regime.
At the time of the report, the mentioned media outlet had not obtained the names of the three individuals released nor confirmation from the State Department regarding whether they would travel to the United States. The editorial team had requested that information from the U.S. authorities.
Journalists from AFP and CNN also confirmed the release of several inmates from La Lima prison in Havana, which affirms that the process of releases is already underway on the ground.
The pardon was announced on Friday by the Cuban regime, citing Article 90, section II of the Constitution, and presented as a humanitarian gesture in the context of Holy Week.
The measure benefits 2,010 sanctioned individuals, prioritizing youth, women, seniors over 60 years old, individuals nearing the end of their sentence, the ill, and foreigners or Cubans living abroad.
So far, the Cuban authorities have not released an official list of those benefited, nor have they provided details about their records or the crimes for which they were convicted, adding a layer of opacity to the process.
However, those who committed offenses against authority were explicitly excluded, a category that the regime systematically applies against demonstrators and political opponents, which leaves out the vast majority of the prisoners from July 11, 2021, and other prisoners of conscience.
Pentón was categorical about this: up to this moment, no political prisoner has been released according to the NGOs that had been consulting.
Human rights organizations rejected the pardon for this reason. The Cuban Observatory of Human Rights demanded the release of all political prisoners.
José Daniel Ferrer accused the regime of using the pardon to get out of trouble, and Cuban-American Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar warned that they are not fooling anyone.
The first releases began this Saturday at La Lima prison in Havana, for cases involving common crimes such as theft or bribery.
This is the fifth pardon since 2011 and the second of 2026. In March, the regime released 51 prisoners following a dialogue with the Vatican, of which only between 19 and 27 were political prisoners according to independent organizations.
In January 2025, it released 553 inmates as part of negotiations with the United States and mediation by the Holy See.
Prisoners Defenders recorded 1,214 political prisoners in Cuba as of February 2026, while Justicia 11J estimated at least 760, including 358 detained during the protests of July 11.
With over 11,000 people benefiting from five pardons since 2011, the regime maintains a consistent pattern: selective gestures towards the outside without yielding on the issue of political prisoners, whose existence it continues to systematically deny.
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