Biden administration will remove Cuba's designation as a state sponsor of terrorism
President-elect Donald Trump designated Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism shortly before he left office in January 2021.
Cuba said it will release 553 political prisoners after the Biden administration announced Tuesday it is removing Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism and taking other “goodwill” actions.
The Catholic Church had been negotiating with the communist-run government over the release of the prisoners. Most of them were jailed following unprecedented islandwide protests in July 2021. A brutal crackdown initially led to the arrests of more than 1,000 people. Many faced prison sentences of up to 30 years.
"I thank all those who contributed to the decision announced today by the United States to remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, where it should never have been," Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel wrote on X. "Together with two other measures adopted, they have had a high cost for the country and Cuban families."
Before Cuba's announcement, a senior administration official told reporters that to support the Catholic Church and facilitate the agreement, Biden would notify Congress that he seeks to remove Cuba from the terrorism list, as well as to take other actions.
“An assessment has been completed, and we do not have information that supports Cuba’s designation as being a state sponsor of terrorism,” the Biden official said.
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