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American president Joe Biden notified Congress of his intention to revoke the American designation Cuba as a state sponsor terrorismthe White House announced, as part of an agreement made possible by the Catholic Church for the release of political prisoners on the island.
Senior US administration officials, who reviewed the announcement on condition of anonymity, said “many dozens” of political prisoners and others the US deems to be unjustly detained will be released by the end of the Biden administration at noon on January 20.
The US would also ease some economic pressure on Cuba, as well as a 2017 memorandum issued by then-President Donald Trump toughening the US stance on Cuba.
“In taking these steps to strengthen the ongoing dialogue between the government of Cuba and the Catholic Church, President Biden is also honoring the wisdom and advice given to him by many world leaders, particularly in Latin America, who have encouraged him to take these actions to best advance the human rights of the Cuban people. of the people,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.
Cuba’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday that the government had informed Pope Francis that it would release 553 people who had been convicted of various crimes. It said they would be released gradually while authorities analyzed legal and humanitarian ways to make this happen.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not connect the release of the prisoners with the US decision to revoke the status of a state sponsor of terrorism, but “in the spirit of the regular jubilee of 2025 declared by His Holiness”.
Cuban authorities have not said who is among the 553 people to be freed.
The outgoing one-term Democrat’s determination is likely to be reversed as early as next week after Trump, the Republican who is now president-elect, takes office and Secretary of State Marco Rubio takes over as America’s top diplomat.
Rubio, whose family left Cuba in the 1950s before the communist revolution that brought Fidel Castro to power, has long been a proponent of sanctions on the communist island. Rubio will appear before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for a confirmation hearing on Wednesday and is expected to address his Cuban roots in his testimony.
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Trump also named Mauricio Claver-Carone, a former White House National Security Council aide and strong proponent of sanctions against Cuba, as his special envoy for Latin America.
In the final days of Trump’s first administration, on January 11, 2021, the White House reinstated the designation, which had been revoked during a period of rapprochement between Cuba and the United States during President Barack Obama’s second term. In doing so, the Trump administration cited Cuba’s support for Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and its refusal to extradite Colombian rebels to Colombia, among other issues, including the continued provision of sanctuary to wanted Americans.
Trump’s move to label Cuba was one of several foreign policy moves he made in the final days of his first term.
About six months after Trump labeled Cuba a state sponsor of terrorism, the Biden administration imposed new sanctions on island officials and the National Revolutionary Police after hundreds of Cubans were arrested during demonstrations in Havana and other cities protesting shortages, power outages and government policies. These were the first such protests since the 1990s.
Human rights groups and activists, including the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, have pressed the Biden administration to rescind the appointment to ease the suffering of the Cuban people, who are feeling the impact of Cuba’s economic isolation.
The Cuban government recognized the announcement and expressed its gratitude, although it described it as “limited”.
“Despite its limited scope, this is a decision that shows the right direction and is in line with the constant and firm demands of the government and people of Cuba,” the country’s foreign ministry said in a press release.
“The decision announced today by the United States corrects, in a very limited way, some aspects of a cruel and unjust policy,” it added.
Congress and the new Trump administration will have a chance to review and potentially reverse Biden’s actions, although senior administration officials have said the Biden administration has determined there is “no credible evidence” that Cuba is currently involved in supporting international terrorism.
Cuba’s foreign ministry said the government was aware that the new government in the US could reverse the decision, but that it would remain “ready to develop a relationship of respect with that country, based on dialogue and non-interference in the internal affairs of both countries, despite the differences.”
There was no immediate comment from Trump’s transition team or from Rubio or his office, but one of his Republican colleagues on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, was quick to condemn the Biden administration’s move.
“Today’s decision is unacceptable on its own merits,” Cruz said in a statement. “The terrorism developed by the Cuban regime has not stopped. I will work with President Trump and my colleagues to immediately reverse and limit the damage from that decision.”
Rep. Carlos Gimenez, Republican of Florida, criticized the move and predicted that Trump would quickly reverse Biden’s decision.
“President Biden is a poor coward,” Gimenez posted on X. “Come January 20th, there will be a NEW SHERIFF in town and President Trump along with Secretary of State @SenMarcoRubio will not only put #Cuba BACK on the list, they will BREAK the regime once and for all!”
Biden confirmed in a national security memo released Tuesday that Cuba has not provided any support for international terrorism over the past six months and has given assurances to the administration that it will not support acts of terrorism in the future.
The move comes after the administration in May removed Cuba from the State Department’s short list of countries it believes have not fully cooperated against violent groups.
AP writer Andrea Rodríguez in Havana, Cuba contributed reporting.
