Cuba publishes names of 2,000 pardoned prisoners

Cuba on Monday published the identities of over 2,000 prisoners pardoned under an April amnesty decree by President Miguel Díaz-Canel, according to Reuters.reuters
Rights groups including Amnesty International and Prisoners Defenders have said no political prisoners appear to be among those freed, calling it “ordinary prison drainage.”eltoque
The disclosure comes amid tense U.S.-Cuba negotiations, with the Trump administration pressing Havana through an oil embargo and demands to free political detainees.reuters

Cuba Publishes Full List of Amnesty Prisoners as U.S. Negotiations Continue

Cuba on Monday disclosed the identities of more than 2,000 prisoners pardoned under a sweeping amnesty first announced in April, publishing their names in the country’s official government gazette for the first time since the decree was signed nearly two months ago.

The Decree

The list appeared in a decree issued by President Miguel Díaz-Canel that grants “full and definitive pardon” to the prisoners, describing the action as a “humanitarian and sovereign gesture,” according to Reuters. The government had not previously released the identities of those included in the amnesty, which was first announced on April 2 when Cuba said it would free 2,010 inmates.usnews

The publication comes at a time of tense negotiations between Havana and the United States. The Trump administration has been pressuring Cuba on multiple fronts, including through a stringent oil embargo and demands for the release of political prisoners.npr

Skepticism Over Political Prisoners

Human rights organizations have expressed doubt that the amnesty includes individuals detained for political reasons. When the pardon was first announced, the organization Prisoners Defenders said in a statement that the measure amounted to “ordinary prison drainage” of common prisoners, adding that it had “verified that among those released there is not a single political prisoner”.eltoque

Amnesty International warned in April that the measures “remain marked by a lack of transparency and discretion, with no guarantee of full release or genuine respect for human rights”. At the time, the Cuban authorities had not published a complete official list of beneficiaries, making independent verification impossible.amnesty

The Cuban government’s announcement explicitly excluded those convicted of “crimes against authority” — a category that rights groups say encompasses charges like disobedience and contempt, frequently used to prosecute dissidents. According to Prisoners Defenders, Cuba held 1,214 political prisoners as of its February 2026 report.eltoque

Context of Broader Releases

Monday’s publication marks the latest in a series of prisoner releases this year. In March, Cuba freed 51 inmates following Vatican-mediated discussions, though only about 27 of those were identified as political prisoners by monitoring organizations. The April amnesty was the largest such action in nearly a decade and the fifth since 2011, bringing the total number of pardoned individuals above 11,000.nytimes

The release of names now offers rights groups their first opportunity to cross-reference the list against their databases of political detainees — a process likely to shape the next phase of U.S.-Cuba discussions.