Cuba’s Council of State Pardons 787 Prisoners

Havana – The Council of State of the Republic of Cuba, in response to the call made by Pope Francis to the heads of State in the Holy Year of Mercy, agreed to pardon 787 prisoners, it was officially announced here today.

To do this, the Council of State took into account the nature of the acts for which they were sentenced, their behavior in prison and the time of the execution of the sentence, a note issued in Granma newspaper states.

Due to humanitarian reason, women, young people, those chronically ill and other categories, were also included in this pardon.

As in previous occasions, those sentenced for murder, corruption of minors, rape, drug trafficking, and others of extreme danger, were excluded.

The Council of State also assessed the compliance with the prison policy, corroborating that the People’s Supreme Court, the General Attorney’s Office of the Republic and the Ministry of the Interior have systematically analyzed the possible early release of persons deprived of their freedom. So, a high percent of those prisoners were released before the term of compliance, the note concludes.