A prominent Cuban dissident and activist has been released from prison as part of a broader prisoner release deal between the Cuban government and the United States.
Jose Daniel Ferrer spent more than three years in prison after anti-government protests swept the communist-run island in 2021.
Under the agreement brokered by the Catholic Church, outgoing US President Joe Biden removed Cuba from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism just days before the end of his term.
In return, Cuba said it would release 553 people, many of whom were arrested during anti-government protests.
The island The first batch of hundreds of prisoners has begun to be released On Wednesday, about 20 people were freed, according to local NGOs.
Ferrer is one of the most well-known names among Cuban dissidents and pro-democracy activists. The 54-year-old leader of the Cuban Patriotic Union Party (UNPACU), an opposition group in the country, was jailed and charged with disturbing public order following the 2021 protests.
Ferrer told Reuters in a telephone conversation, “I am at home in good health, but I have the courage to continue the struggle for Cuba's freedom.”
Many of the prisoners released this week were arrested in connection with the 2021 protests, during which citizens demanded that the Cuban government do more to alleviate widespread food shortages and bring down spiraling prices.
Biden's move to remove Cuba from the US list of states sponsoring terrorism came just days before the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump.
Senator Marco Rubio, Trump's pick for Secretary of State, criticized the decision to ease sanctions on Cuba, suggesting that it could be reversed.
Speaking during his Senate nomination hearing on Wednesday, Rubio, referring to some of the sanctions on Cuba that the Biden administration rescinded on Tuesday, said, “The new administration is not bound by this decision.”
Earlier, Mike Waltz, Trump's pick for the position of National Security Advisor, said on Fox News that “anything (the Biden administration) does now, we can respond to it, and no one should be under any illusion regarding change in Cuba.” . policy”.
The Cuban government says the island's designation as a state sponsor of terrorism is grossly unfair and aims to harm its economy by making it impossible for Cuba to obtain international bank credit.
