US President Joe Biden notified Congress of his intention to terminate the US post of Cuba As the state sponsor of Terrorismthe White House announced, as part of a deal facilitated by the Catholic Church to free political prisoners on the island.
Senior U.S. administration officials, who reviewed the announcement on condition of anonymity, said “several dozen” political prisoners and others unjustly detained by the U.S. since the end of the Biden administration on Jan. 20. will be released.
The U.S. would also ease some economic pressure on Cuba, as well as a 2017 memorandum issued by then-President Donald Trump to toughen the U.S. stance toward Cuba.
“In taking these steps to strengthen the ongoing dialogue between the Cuban government and the Catholic Church, President Biden is also honoring the wisdom and advice he has received from many world leaders, particularly in Latin America. I, who have encouraged him to take action on how to better advance the human rights of the Cuban people,” White House press secretary Karen Jean-Pierre said in a statement.
Cuba's foreign ministry said on Tuesday that the government had informed Pope Francis that it would release 553 people convicted of various crimes. It said they will be released gradually, as authorities analyze legal and humanitarian options to make this happen.
The Foreign Ministry did not link the release of the prisoners to the US decision to remove the designation as state sponsor of terrorism, but “in the spirit of the general jubilee of the year 2025 announced by His Holiness”.
Cuban officials have not said who is among the 553 people who will be freed.
The outgoing one-term Democrat's commitment is likely to change as early as next week when Trump, the Republican president-elect, takes office and Secretary of State nominee Marco Rubio takes over as America's top diplomat. .
Rubio, whose family left Cuba in the 1950s before the communist revolution that brought Fidel Castro to power, has long been a supporter of sanctions on the communist island. Rubio will appear before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday for his confirmation hearing and is expected to address his Cuban roots in his testimony.
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Trump has also appointed Mauricio Clavier Caron, a former White House National Security Council aide and strong supporter of sanctions against Cuba, as his special envoy for Latin America.
In the final days of Trump's first administration, on January 11, 2021, the White House reinstated the designation, which had changed during President Barack Obama's second term on relations between Cuba and the United States. In doing so, the Trump administration cited Cuba's support for Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, and its refusal to extradite Colombian rebels, including its continued harboring of wanted Americans.
Trump's move to designate Cuba was one of several foreign policy moves he made in the final days of his first term.
Nearly six months after Trump named Cuba a state sponsor of terrorism, the Biden administration imposed new sanctions on the island's authorities and the National Revolutionary Police amid shortages, power outages and government policies in Havana and other cities. Hundreds of Cubans were arrested during the protests. It was the first such protest since the 1990s.
Human rights groups and activists, including the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, are pressing the Biden administration to take action to ease the suffering of Cubans who feel the effects of Cuba's economic isolation.
The Cuban government recognized and thanked the announcement, although it considered it “limited”.
“Despite its limited scope, this is a decision that points in the right direction and corresponds to the constant and firm demand of the Cuban government and people,” the country's foreign ministry said in a press release.
“The decision announced today by the United States corrects, in a very limited way, some aspects of the cruel and unjust policy,” it added.
Congress and the incoming Trump administration will have the opportunity to review and potentially overturn Biden's actions, although senior administration officials said the Biden administration had determined there was “no credible evidence.” Cuba is currently engaged in supporting international terrorism.
Cuba's foreign ministry said the government was aware that the incoming administration in the United States could reverse the decision, but that it would “remain ready to build respectful relations with this country, based on There is non-interference in the internal affairs of the two countries despite their differences.
There was no immediate comment from Trump's transition team or from Rubio or his office, but one of his Republican colleagues on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, quickly called out the Biden administration's move. Condemned.
“Today's decision is unacceptable on its merits,” Cruz said in a statement. “The terrorism promoted by the Cuban government has not ended. I will work with President Trump and my colleagues to quickly reverse the decision and limit the damage.
Rep. Carlos Gimenez, Republican of Florida, criticized the move and predicted that Trump would soon reverse Biden's decision.
“President Biden is a pathetic coward,” Gimenez posted on X. “On January 20th, there will be a new sheriff in town and President Trump along with Secretary of State @SenMarcoRubio will not only put #Cuba back on the list but PULVERIZE the government. Once and for all!”
In a national security memo released Tuesday, Biden confirmed that Cuba has not provided any support for international terrorism over the past six months and assured the administration that it would not support future acts of terrorism. will not.
The move comes after the State Department removed Cuba in May from a short list of countries it considers less than fully cooperating with violent groups.
AP writer Andrea Rodriguez in Havana, Cuba contributed reporting.