![]() Those freed include men over 60 and under 20, women, the chronically ill, prisoners due for conditional release in 2016, and foreigners, Cuba said. Violent crime, but welcomed his release and that of the others. The human rights commission said it had excluded Frometaįrom its list of political detainees because of a history of ![]() Military base at Cuba'a Guantanamo Bay, setting off a landmine PHILADELPHIA - Read the full text of Pope Francis' speech to prisoners at Curran-Fromhold. However, Ferrer said he considered one of those pardoned toīe a political prisoner because he took up political activism inĪndres Frometa, one of those pardoned on Friday, wasĬonvicted in the early 1990s for attempting cross into the U.S. Pope Francis spoke to inmates inside Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility on Sunday morning. None of those pardoned belonged to the Patriotic Union ofĬuba (UNPACU), the country's largest dissident group, leader Involving a common name as the circumstances of their cases The Reuters review showed one name on both lists matched,īut the commission said it appeared to be a coincidence Those pardoned were among the prisoners they have asked the In a statement it was 'cause for happiness and spiritual reliefĬhurch officials were still trying to determine if any of ![]() 19-22 visit, welcomed the release, saying The Cuban Conference of Catholic Bishops, which is preparingįor the pope's Sept. The chronically ill, prisoners due for conditional release inĢ016, and foreigners whose repatriation could be assured, Cuba Those freed would include men over 60 and under 20, women, The illegal rustling or slaughter of cattle, or drug Political prisoners, said those convicted of crimes againstĪccording to state-run media accounts of the Council of Stateĭecision, were people convicted of murder, rape, child abuse, The Communist-led country, which officially denies it has Pope Francis will visit Havana days after 3,522 common prisoners are released in a 'humanitarian gesture' This time, however, there appeared to be no political Cuba freedģ,600 political prisoners at once in 1978. Would be among the largest mass releases of prisoners since theġ959 revolution that brought Fidel Castro to power. The pope has made it a point to regularly visit prisoners on his trips, has called for an end to capital punishment and has spoken against solitary confinement, which he says is a form of torture. The statement also said prisoners convicted of murder, homicide, rape, sexual abuse of children, drug trafficking or the illegal killing of state-owned cattle were ineligible for pardons.The move on Friday echoes similar actions the Communist-led country took ahead of two previous papal visits.Ĭuba said they would be released within three days in what The government said in its statement that no one who had committed crimes against state security, considered to be political prisoners by international human rights groups, would be released. The Cuban government pardoned 299 prisoners before a 1998 visit by Pope John Paul II and 2,900 prisoners before the 2012 visit by Pope Benedict XVI. In a statement published in the Cuban Communist Party newspaper Granma, the government said the prisoners would be released in the next 72 hours and included minors, people over the age of 60, prisoners in poor health and foreigners who would be repatriated to their home countries. ![]() These are the factors that are always considered and not the type of crimes,” Ortega said “It’s due to the many years spent in prison, good behavior, declining state of health or family difficulties. The Catholic Church in Cuba gathered requests from prisoners’ families and submitted them to Cuban government officials to be considered for a mass pardon to mark the visit by the Pope, who arrives in Saturday in Cuba for a three-day visit before traveling to the United States. “It’s a humanitarian gesture we have received many letters,” Cuban Cardinal Jaime Ortega y Alamino told CNN in an interview. Cuba will free 3,522 prisoners ahead of Pope Francis’ visit next week to the Caribbean island, the Cuban government announced Friday. ![]()
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