Cuba will free 2,010 prisoners as a humanitarian and sovereign gesture, its government has announced, as it faces continued political pressure from the US.
Those freed will include foreign nationals, young people, women, and those aged over 60, a statement from the Cuban embassy in the US said on Thursday.
It said the release was taking place in the context of the religious celebrations of Holy Week, which is a customary practice in our criminal justice system.
Since returning to the White House, US President Donald Trump has made clear his desire to change Cuba's Communist leadership and has blocked oil shipments to the island, causing severe fuel shortages and widespread blackouts.
Last week, a Russian-owned tanker carrying an estimated 730,000 barrels of crude oil became the first to dock in one of Cuba's ports since early January - something Trump said he had no problem with.
Cuba holds hundreds of political prisoners behind bars, according to Human Rights Watch, with government critics subject to harassment and criminal prosecution.
Eligibility for the release was based on a careful analysis of offences, along with their good conduct while in prison, the fact that they had served a significant portion of their sentences, and their state of health, the embassy said.
It is the second time this year that Cuba has announced a prisoner release. In March, 51 prisoners were set free after talks with the Vatican.
In 2025, Cuba released 553 people in a deal brokered by the Vatican and the US.
Trump's rhetoric concerning Latin America has pivoted focus towards Cuba since the US seized Venezuela's former President, Nicolás Maduro, in a raid on Caracas in January.
Venezuela's interim government has also released political prisoners since - a key US demand - though a prisoner rights group says only a third of those promised had been let go.
Venezuela had been providing Cuba with oil under highly preferential terms, something the US stopped while threatening tariffs on products from nations found to be sending oil to the Caribbean island - exacerbating an existing energy crisis.
Cuba's Communist government, led by President Miguel Díaz-Canel, has been in talks with the Trump administration to find an agreement to end the impasse.
But both sides have publicly set out a number of political and economic red lines that make finding common ground difficult.
Trump has suggested that the US could take Cuba by force and install a friendlier regime.
Last week, the World Health Organization warned that severe fuel shortages meant that Cuban hospitals were struggling to maintain emergency and intensive care services.
The island has also suffered from rolling blackouts that have left millions in darkness and seen rare shows of public dissent.
Russia stated it would send a second oil tanker, laden with enough oil to keep Cuba's economy going for a few weeks.
