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Edition: U.S. Article Comments (0) Slideshow Save Email Print Reprints Most Popular Most Shared Tired Gay succumbs to Dix in 200 meters 03 Jul 2010 Netanyahu bodyguards' guns go missing on U.S. visit | Video 07 Jul 2010 China may take action on stocks if slide worsens 1:21am EDT Germans shell-shocked by oracle octopus 06 Jul 2010 BP aims to fix leaking oil well by July 27: report 1:29am EDT Viagra-popping seniors lead the pack for STDs 06 Jul 2010 French heiress affair is half drama, half farce 07 Jul 2010 Analysis: Asia next in line of fire for U.S. tax police 07 Jul 2010 Global stocks gain after forecast fuels optimism 1:01am EDT European Factors -- Shares set to extend rally 1:29am EDT Tired Gay succumbs to Dix in 200 meters 03 Jul 2010 Netanyahu bodyguards' guns go missing on U.S. visit | Video 07 Jul 2010 Germans shell-shocked by oracle octopus 06 Jul 2010 Earthquake shakes California, no damage reported 07 Jul 2010 Economic peril seen from offshore drilling ban 07 Jul 2010 Analysis: Asia next in line of fire for U.S. tax police 07 Jul 2010 Ex-Panama dictator Noriega sentenced to 7 years | Video 07 Jul 2010 French heiress affair is half drama, half farce 07 Jul 2010 MySpace sale reports are "fabrications": News Corp exec 07 Jul 2010 Saipem, Eni to pay fines in Nigeria bribe case 07 Jul 2010 Church says Cuba to free 52 political prisoners Digg This Tweet This Share on LinkedIn Share on Facebook Factbox Cuban political prisoners to be freed Wed, Jul 7 2010 Related News Analysis: Cuba prisoner releases could boost detente with U.S. Wed, Jul 7 2010 Related Topics World » Cuba » 1 / 4 Laura Pollan, leader of The Ladies in White, a group made up of family members of imprisoned dissidents, speaks on the phone to another dissident, Guillermo Farinas, who has been on a hunger strike for 134 days, seeking the freedom of 25 ailing political prisoners, after news of government plans to release prisoners in Havana July 7, 2010. The Cuban government will free 52 political prisoners, Cuba's Catholic church said on Wednesday, in a major concession to international pressure to improve its human rights. It said five of the prisoners would be released later on Wednesday and allowed to go to Spain, while the remaining 47 would be freed over the next few months. Credit: Reuters/Desmond Boylan By Jeff Franks HAVANA | Wed Jul 7, 2010 9:15pm EDT HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuba will free 52 political prisoners, Cuba's Catholic church said on Wednesday, in a major concession to international pressure and a possible step toward improved relations with the United States and Europe. The church said five of the prisoners would be freed later on Wednesday and allowed to go to Spain, while the remaining 47 would be released over the next few months and permitted to leave the communist-led Caribbean island, if they choose. The 52 men are those still in jail from 75 arrested in a 2003 government crackdown against dissidents that damaged Cuba's international standing. The release was the result of recent dialogue between President Raul Castro and Cuban Catholic leader Cardinal Jaime Ortega as the church has taken a more prominent role in national affairs. Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos came to Havana this week to join in their discussions. He said the release would "open a new era in Cuba ... with the desire to definitively resolve the question of the prisoners." The release would be the largest since 1998, when 101 political prisoners were among about 300 inmates freed following a visit by Pope John Paul II. It will reduce the number of dissidents behind bars to about 100, which moves Cuba closer to eliminating one of the biggest stumbling blocks in its relations with the United States and Europe. The United States and European Union have long pressed Havana to free political prisoners, improve human rights and move toward democracy. The Cuban Commission for Human Rights said on Monday that Cuba had 167 political prisoners, including 10 who were out on parole, which was the lowest number since the 1959 revolution that put Fidel Castro in power. U.S. SEES POSITIVE DEVELOPMENT The U.S. State Department issued a cautious statement, saying it was working to confirm the church's report but "would view prisoner releases as a positive development." But Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Cuban-born member of the U.S. Congress from Florida and the top Republican on the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, warned against being "fooled" by the government in Havana and said "maximum pressure must be exerted" until all Cubans are free. Reaction from Cuban dissidents was mixed, with Elizardo Sanchez of the independent Cuban Commission on Human Rights saying the release was "something good" but not an indication that Cuba's human rights will improve. Laura Pollan, leader of the dissident group Ladies in White, said the release was an important moment in Cuba. "I believe we are at the doors of a change, a significant change," said Pollan, whose husband Hector Maceda was one of those still behind bars from the 2003 crackdown. Hopefully, she said, it will be "the first steps of a true freedom, of a true democracy." Cuba's state-run television reported Castro met Ortega and Moratinos on Wednesday but did not mention the prisoner release. Cuba came under heavy international criticism after the February 23 death of hunger-striking dissident Orlando Zapata Tamayo and in recent weeks has slightly relaxed its policy toward dissidents, whom it views as mercenaries working for the United States and other enemies to topple the government. Zapata's death prompted another dissident, Guillermo Farinas, to launch a hunger strike that, after 134 days, reportedly has brought him near death in a hospital in the central city of Santa Clara. He is demanding the release of 25 ailing political prisoners, who are believed to be included in the group to be freed. But Farinas said through his spokeswoman that he would not yet abandon his strike because he has not received word from the church or the government. DRAMATIC SCENE His refusal led to a dramatic scene at Pollan's home in central Havana, where she implored him by phone to start eating. "Trust a little bit," she said. "Stop the hunger strike. You are more valuable alive than dead." Sarah Stephens, director of the Washington-based Center for Democracy in the Americas, said she hoped Wednesday's events would shift U.S. policy away from its cornerstone -- a 48-year-old trade embargo against Cuba -- and toward greater dialogue. "This is joyful news ... and a lesson for U.S. policymakers that engagement -- talking to the Cubans with respect -- is accomplishing more right now than the embargo has accomplished in 50 years," she said. U.S. President Barack Obama has made modest efforts to improve relations with Cuba, including a slight easing of the embargo, and has said there would be further progress when the island released political prisoners. But standing in the way is Cuba's detention of U.S. contractor Alan Gross, who has been jailed in Havana since December on suspicion of espionage activities. U.S. officials, who say Gross is not a spy and was only providing Internet access to Jewish groups, maintain there will be no significant improvements in relations until he is freed. Cuba, which considers Gross to be part of longstanding U.S. efforts to undermine its system, has said only that he remains under investigation. Moratinos said the release of the prisoners "logically has to help (Cuba's) relations with the United States, because now there is no excuse." The Spaniard has been a leading voice in Europe for engagement with Cuba instead of confrontation and has pushed for the 27-nation bloc to drop its common position emphasizing improved human rights and democracy on the island. The Cubans view the EU's stance as an obstacle to relations. Zapata's death helped derail Moratinos' efforts to amend the EU position while Spain led the bloc in the first half of this year but he said freeing the prisoners changes things. Many in Europe "did not trust this way of doing policy and today we see that it gives results," Moratinos said. (Additional reporting by Nelson Acosta and Rosa Tania Valdes; Editing by John O'Callaghan) World Cuba Add a Comment *We welcome comments that advance the story directly or with relevant tangential information. We try to block comments that use offensive language or appear to be spam and review comments frequently to ensure they meet our standards. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. © Copyright 2010 Thomson Reuters Editorial Editions: Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom United States Reuters Contact Us Advertise With Us Help Journalism Handbook Archive Site Index Video Index Reader Feedback Analyst Research Mobile Newsletters RSS Podcasts Widgets Your View Labs Thomson Reuters Copyright Disclaimer Privacy Professional Products Professional Products Support Financial Products About Thomson Reuters Careers Online Products Acquisitions Monthly Buyouts Venture Capital Journal International Financing Review Project Finance International PEhub.com PE Week FindLaw Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests. NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.

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