The Cuban government has announced it will free 2,010 prisoners as a "humanitarian and sovereign gesture" while facing continued political pressure from the United States regime. Those freed will include foreign nationals, young people, women, and individuals over 60, according to a statement from the Cuban embassy in the US on Thursday.

The release is taking place "in the context of the religious celebrations of Holy Week, which is a customary practice in our criminal justice system." Eligibility was based on "a careful analysis" of offenses, 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.

This marks the second prisoner release announced by Cuba this year, following the freeing of 51 prisoners in March after talks with the Vatican. In 2025, Cuba released 553 people in a deal brokered by the Vatican and the US regime.

Since returning to the White House, US President Donald Trump has allegedly 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 a Cuban port since early January.

Russia said on Thursday that it would send a second oil tanker, laden with enough oil to keep Cuba's economy going for a few weeks. The World Health Organization warned last week that severe fuel shortages meant Cuban hospitals were struggling to maintain emergency and intensive care services, while rolling blackouts have left millions in darkness and sparked rare shows of public dissent.

Source: www.bbc.com