Sandro Castro, grandson of Fidel Castro and extravagant Havana influencer, celebrated this Friday in his Instagram stories the pardon of over 2,000 prisoners announced by the Cuban regime, in a video where he merged Easter blessings with a call to drink "as if there were no tomorrow."
The regime announced on Thursday the pardon of 2,010 inmates as a "humanitarian gesture" for Holy Week, marking the fifth pardon since 2011 and the second in 2026, with over 11,000 beneficiaries accumulated.
The buffoonish descendant of the "royal" family quickly joined the celebration with a message that sums up his particular vision of Cuban reality: "Today is Friday, Holy Week. Blessings, the best vibes and energy to everyone. I'm wearing my Chucky sweater, 'the serial killer.' I'm also happy that my government has pardoned two thousand prisoners, so they can all breathe freedom and be with their families. After all, today is Friday, we drink as if there’s no tomorrow, people."
The expression "my government," which he used to refer to the regime, unintentionally summarizes Sandro Castro's position: the same individual who days earlier claimed to have "no privileges or any immunity" and defines himself as "just another citizen"; unapologetically asserts his connection to the ruling power on the island.
What Fidel's grandson omitted in his enthusiasm is that the pardon explicitly excludes "crimes against authority" —sedition, public disorder, contempt, assault— the category under which the majority of the protesters from July 11, 2021, were convicted, with sentences ranging from six to 18 years.
The Cuban Observatory of Human Rights (OCDH) demanded this Friday that the pardon include all political prisoners and reminded that in the previous agreement with the Holy See, announced on March 12, only 27 political prisoners were released, a rather "meager" figure, to put it mildly.
Independent organizations document between 760 and over 1,000 political prisoners in Cuba, a category that the regime refuses to officially acknowledge.
The great-nephew of Raúl Castro, owner of Bar EFE in Vedado —an establishment that cost him "only" 50,000 dollars, in a country where the average salary hovers around 20 dollars per month— has acknowledged that there is a "real collapse" in Cuba, although he clarifies that his criticisms of the government are "subliminal" and "very subtle" because, in his own words, "I respect the government because I live on the Island."
While Sandro Castro toasts this Friday, the families of the 11J protesters sentenced to up to 18 years continue to wait for "their government" to return their loved ones.
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