The Cuban government has reportedly completed the release of all 53 political prisoners it had promised to free under a landmark deal, U.S. officials told Reuters Monday.
The exact number and identity of the prisoners released over the weekend will remain unknown for now, but the White House plans to provide the names of all 53 to Congress in order to eventually publicly reveal their names.
Releasing the last detainees was described as a “milestone” by the U.S. officials, who also said they will continue to press Raul Castro to free more people considered political prisoners by the Cuban government.
“The fact of the matter is there are other individuals whose cases we have raised in the past,” a senior U.S. official told Reuters. “We have every expectation of going forward in the future. We’re going to be wanting to raise the cases of different individuals who may be detained in Cuba for exercising their universal rights.”
Elizardo Sanchez, president of the dissent Cuban Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation, which monitors prisoners held by the island country, told Reuters her organization only knew of up to 39 people freed since mid-December.
“We have heard nothing new today,” she said Sunday, adding, “We’ll see in the next few days if they complete the list.”
President Obama announced Dec. 17 that diplomatic ties between the U.S. and Cuba would be restored after more than 50 years of hostility.
The release of U.S. international aid worker Alan Gross by Cuba in exchange for three Cuban intelligence agents on Dec. 17 was the first step in restoring diplomatic ties between the two countries.
