Cuba pardons 2,010 prisoners for Holy Week

Photo by Spencer Everett on Unsplash

Source: Vatican Media, World Council of Churches

The Cuban government announced that it has granted pardons to 2,010 detainees ahead of Easter, after already releasing 14 prisoners less than a month ago.

This is a "humanitarian and sovereign gesture" taking place "within the context of the religious celebrations of Holy Week," the government stated in an official announcement broadcast on Cuban television.

Although neither the list of detainees nor the reason behind the decision has been provided, the statement specifies that those receiving the pardon have served "a significant part of their sentence" and have "shown good behaviour in prison."

Among the group are "young people, women, people over 60 years of age," as well as "foreign nationals and Cuban citizens residing abroad," the document explains.

The Cuban government stated that the announced pardon would be "the fifth" granted since 2011. Since then, 11,000 people have reportedly benefited from such measures.

A high-level international ecumenical delegation visited Cuba from 28-31 March on a solidarity visit, aimed at responding to the island's deepening humanitarian crisis. They met with President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez at Havana's Convention Palace on 30 March.

Thanking the group for the visit, the president said: "Thank you very much for accompanying us; thank you very much for the message of peace and deep faith with which you accompany us."

He described the blockade as "a violation of the human rights of Cubans," as an act of "depriving a people who are generous, hardworking, and supportive of the most basic things needed to live their lives in peace."

Díaz-Canel Bermúdez told the ecumenical leaders: "We ask you to demonstrate this reality, to tell this reality; and to the leaders of our churches, to continue developing the community initiatives with which you have always supported us, and also to become involved in all the community-level movement we are shaping, because you have great experience in community work, popular education, and all these things that are extremely important at this moment."

Rev Prof Dr Jerry Pillay, general secretary of the World Council of Churches, said he is aware that Cubans "are living through difficult times." He added: "I come with senior religious leaders. They are general secretaries of well-established churches around the world, representing millions of people globally. We are here to celebrate the beginning of Holy Week with you. We are joining you in solidarity. We will join the voices of people of faith to say that what is being done to you is wrong. Our presence, and that of such a high-level delegation, shows that we are here to offer our support and to tell the people of Cuba that they are not alone."

Joel Ortega Dopico, president of the Cuban Council of Churches, said the visit was a source of "healthy pride for the Cuban ecumenical movement," and part of many years of work. Dopico stated that this visit marked the beginning of a stage in which the global ecumenical movement and the Cuban ecumenical movement will work more closely together.

Besides Pillay, the delegation consists of Rev Philip Vinod Peacock, general secretary of the World Communion of Reformed Churches; RevJimmie R Hawkins. and Rev Jihyun Oh, from the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA); Rt Rev Anthony Poggo, secretary-general of the Anglican Communion; Rev Michael Blair, general secretary of the United Church of Canada; and Rev Dr Reynaldo Ferreira Leao Neto, general secretary of the World Methodist Council.