Cuban Regime Releases 553 Prisoners in Exchange for Its Exclusion From the US List of Sponsors of Terrorism

Biden announced his decision an hour before the Havana declaration, which links the releases to a negotiation with the Vatican

US President Joe Biden. / EFE

14ymedio bigger14ymedio, Madrid, 14 January 2025 — Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel has informed the Vatican of his decision to release “553 people sanctioned in due process for various crimes contemplated by law,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported on Tuesday an hour after US President Joe Biden announced the exclusion of Cuba from the list of countries sponsoring terrorism. According to Martí Noticias, Washington’s decision was “unilateral,” but was based on the regime’s “promise” made to the Catholic Church to release those imprisoned. The Catholic Church “played an important mediating role,” said Martí Noticias.

In an official statement, the president, who will leave the White House in just six days, justifies the “rescission” of the island’s inclusion on the list based on two points: “the Government of Cuba has not provided any support to international terrorism during the preceding six months” and “has given guarantees that it will not support acts of international terrorism in the future.”

The measures also include the suspension of Title III of the Helms-Burton Act and the elimination of a list of Cuban government entities that cannot do business with the United States, including ministries linked to security, companies belonging to the Armed Forces, such as Gaesa or Cimex, and dozens of state-owned hotels. In addition, the limitations on obtaining an ESTA – the tourist entry card to the United States – will no longer be in force for nationals of more than 40 countries who have been in Cuba since 2021.

The Cuban official press, contrary to its custom, has been quick to comment on the announcement. In a note published in Cubadebate, it called the list of countries “that according to them sponsor terrorism” “spurious.” It also confirmed that Biden also suspended “the ability of US citizens to sue in US courts for the expropriation of their properties in Cuba and lifted some financial sanctions decreed by the previous Administration.”

The Cuban official press, contrary to its custom, has been quick to comment on the announcement

In any case, the measures could be repealed when Donald Trump takes office on January 20 and Marco Rubio becomes Secretary of State. The Cuban-American politician is expected to appear before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee tomorrow, Wednesday, for his confirmation hearing and to speak about his position toward the island. Both have expressed that they will toughen the measures against Havana if it persists in violating human rights.

The announcement comes just a month after the current government decided to keep Cuba on the aforementioned list for another year, where it shares space with North Korea, Iran and Syria, countries that Washington accuses of “providing repeated support to acts of international terrorism.”

Secretary of State Antony Blinken himself then reiterated that he did not foresee any change in Cuba policy before Biden left office.

Cuba was on the list – which carries a series of associated sanctions – between 1982 and 2015, when it was briefly removed by the Barack Obama administration. In 2021, then-President and now President-elect Donald Trump put Cuba back on the list just a week before leaving office.

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