MILD CHRISTMAS – CUBA PARDONED NEARLY 3,000 PRISONERS

Political Christmas in Cuba: President Raul Castro has announced the pardon of more than 2900 prisoners. Cubans can also hope for an easing of travel restrictions. When, however, is unclear.

In a speech to parliament, Raúl Castro called an imminent visit by Pope Benedict XVI. as one of the reasons for the amnesty. Among the prisoners who are “in the coming days” to be released, are also 86 foreigners from 25 countries, Castro said on Friday evening (local time).

Concerns especially the sick and pardoned prisoners over 60 years of women and young men without a long criminal record. Castro will continue to release some prisoners who had been convicted of crimes against state security. They had all served a large portion of their sentence in prison and has shown good behavior. There was no amnesty for convicted murderers, drug dealers and spies, it said.

No “prisoner of conscience” more in prison

Cuba was released earlier this year, the last of the 75 political prisoners who had come to mass arrests in 2003 in custody. Of the prisoners in Cuban jails now no longer on the list of “prisoners of conscience” of the human rights group Amnesty International.

Not among the pardoned man was so far, however, the Americans Alan Gross, whose arrest in 2009 of discord between Washington and Havana had done. Gross had worked in Havana for a program to establish democracy, which was funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development Cooperation. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

allegations against U.S.

The president also signaled again his government’s willingness to relax the current restrictions on travel for decades. So far, it is prohibited for most Cubans to travel abroad. The special permits are to be lost in the revision. When it comes to that, the 80-year-old brother of revolutionary leader Fidel Castro was an open question. The country will not allow themselves to urge a hasty step, he said, making a hostile U.S. policy responsibility for his reticence. In August, Castro had already indicated an early easing, which failed then.

The travel restrictions are a highly debated issue in the population because virtually almost all Cubans a relative among the approximately two million Cuban exiles.