(July 08, 2010) Cuba has promised the Roman Catholic Church it will free 52 political
prisoners, slashing the number it holds by nearly a third in what would be the communist-run
island's largest release of dissidents since Pope John Paul II visited in 1998. Five
would be released initially and they would go into exile in Spain, while the others
would be freed over the next three or four months, said Havana's archbishop, Cardinal
Jaime Ortega. The deal struck Wednesday followed a meeting between President Raul
Castro and Cardinal Ortega. Also participating was visiting Spanish Foreign Minister
Miguel Angel Moratinos. “Today we announce with complete satisfaction that the objectives
we have worked toward have been met,” Moratinos said. A statement from the Spanish
Embassy declared, “This opens a new era in Cuba with hope of putting aside differences
once and for all on matters of prisoners.” Moratinos then wrapped up his two-plus
days here, but did not take any freed prisoners back to Spain with him. He and Ortega
said they weren't sure how long it would take for the first five prisoners to be released.
Human rights and opposition activists called the scope of the agreement a surprise.
“We were hoping for a significant release of prisoners, but not this,” said Elizardo
Sanchez, head of the independent Cuban Commission on Human Rights and National Reconciliation.
The Cardinal said those to be released were all members of a group of 75 leading political
opposition activists, community organizers and journalists who were arrested in March
2003. Some of the 75 original prisoners had previously been freed for health reasons
or after completing their terms, or were allowed into exile in Spain. Earlier on June
20th the Cuban president had met with Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, the
Vatican's foreign minister, and the state-run news media said the meeting "showed
the favorable development of relations between the state and the Catholic Church in
Cuba."