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Edition: U.S. Article Comments (0) Save Email Print Reprints Most Popular Most Shared Tired Gay succumbs to Dix in 200 meters 03 Jul 2010 French heiress affair is half drama, half farce 7:30am EDT China won't dump U.S. Treasuries or pile into gold 8:06am EDT BP boss in MidEast talks while more progress on relief well | Video 3:56pm EDT Viagra-popping seniors lead the pack for STDs 06 Jul 2010 Germans shell-shocked by oracle octopus 06 Jul 2010 Gold recovers as equities, euro also rise 4:31pm EDT BP shares soar as spill spreads 06 Jul 2010 Wall Street rallies on earnings optimism 4:44pm EDT Germany and Spain in fight for final 4:12pm EDT Tired Gay succumbs to Dix in 200 meters 03 Jul 2010 Germans shell-shocked by oracle octopus 06 Jul 2010 Viagra-popping seniors lead the pack for STDs 06 Jul 2010 China won't dump U.S. Treasuries or pile into gold 8:06am EDT Germany and Spain in fight for final 4:12pm EDT Borders sees new e-bookstore taking share 1:58pm EDT BP boss in MidEast talks while more progress on relief well | Video 3:56pm EDT Obama administration sues Arizona over immigration law 06 Jul 2010 Corporate "firewalk" ends with burnt feet in Italy 06 Jul 2010 Prechter says Dow could fall to 1,000 06 Jul 2010 Cuba to free 52 political prisoners: church Digg This Tweet This Share on LinkedIn Share on Facebook Factbox Cuban political prisoners to be freed 4:38pm EDT Related Topics World » Cuba » By Jeff Franks HAVANA | Wed Jul 7, 2010 4:38pm EDT HAVANA (Reuters) - The Cuban government will free 52 political prisoners, Cuba's Catholic church said on Wednesday, in a major concession to international pressure to improve the country's human rights record. 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 and permitted to leave the country. The 52 men appeared to be those remaining in jail from 75 arrested in a 2003 government crackdown against dissidents. The release will reduce the number of dissidents behind bars on the communist-led Caribbean island to close to 100 and perhaps improve relations with the United States and Europe, who have long pressed Havana to free political prisoners. Human rights advocates said earlier this week that Cuba had 167 political prisoners behind bars, including 10 who were out on parole. 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 follows 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. It also came after Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos met on Tuesday with Cuban officials in Havana. He said he came to the island to lend support to the church's efforts. The church statement said Ortega was informed of the releases on Wednesday in meetings with Castro and Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez, with Moratinos also present. The government had not yet issued a statement on the releases. HEAVY CRITICISM Cuba came under heavy international criticism after the February 23 death of hunger striking dissident Orlando Zapata Tamayo and has begun to relax its policy toward dissidents -- it considers them mercenaries working for the United States. Another dissident, Guillermo Farinas, has been on a hunger strike for 134 days, seeking the freedom of 25 ailing political prisoners, who are believed included in the group to be released. It was not yet clear how he would respond because his sister, Raisa Farinas, said he was not well enough to talk to the press. The dissident, who is in a hospital in the central city of Santa Clara, said earlier this week he was near death due to a blood clot in his neck and ongoing fever. His mother, Alicia Fernandez, told Reuters she was ecstatic about the news of the releases. "I feel like I'm born again," she said. U.S. President Barack Obama has made modest efforts to improve relations with Cuba, and hinged further progress on the release of political prisoners. But the United States is also demanding the release of U.S. contractor Alan Gross, who has been jailed in Cuba since December on suspicion of espionage activities, and said his continued detention would stifle improvements in relations. They say he was not a spy but was in Cuba providing Internet access to Jewish groups. There was not yet an official reaction to the releases from the U.S. State Department in Washington. Sarah Stephens, director of the Washington-based Center for Democracy in the Americas, said Washington should abandon its 48-year-old trade embargo against Cuba and seek greater dialogue. "This is joyful news ... and a lesson for U.S. policy makers that engagement -- talking to the Cubans with respect -- is accomplishing more, right now, than the embargo has accomplished in 50 years." Moratinos has been a leading voice in Europe for the European Union to engage Cuba instead of confront it, and has pushed for the 27-nation bloc to drop its common position of emphasizing improved human rights and democracy on the island. Elizardo Sanchez, spokesman for the independent Cuban Commission on Human Rights, said Wednesday's announcement was "something good, positive," but he discounted the notion it was a concession to international pressure or a significant change in government policy. "In no way is the Cuban government responding to the requests of the international community, which demands the unconditional release of the prisoners," he told Reuters. "Unfortunately, I don't think this signifies that the human rights situation in Cuba is going to improve," he said. But Laura Pollan, leader of the dissident group "Ladies in White," was more optimistic. "I believe we are at the doors of a change, a significant change," she said. Hopefully, she said, it will be "a true change, the first steps of a true freedom, of a true democracy" (Additional reporting by Nelson Acosta and Rosa Tania Valdes; Editing by Paul Simao) 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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