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Full Article Best photos of the year Follow Reuters Facebook Twitter RSS YouTube Read Gingrich questions Ron Paul on racist newsletters 23 Dec 2011 French breast implant boss wanted by Interpol 23 Dec 2011 Congress punts hard payroll tax work to 2012 | 23 Dec 2011 In ad for newsletter, Ron Paul forecast "race war" 23 Dec 2011 Analysis: What's the plan if North Korea collapses? 23 Dec 2011 Discussed 277 In ad for newsletter, Ron Paul forecast ”race war” 131 Slumping Gingrich promises sharper counter-punch 114 North Korea state TV says Kim Jong il has died Watched Reuters Today: Toyota sees record sales in 2012 Thu, Dec 22 2011 Earthquake strikes New Zealand Thu, Dec 22 2011 New ISS crew welcomed Fri, Dec 23 2011 Cuba to free 2,900 in sweeping amnesty Tweet Share this Email Print Related News Cubans wait, hope for end to travel limits Fri, Dec 23 2011 Exclusive: Cuba sweetens pot for new private farmers Mon, Dec 19 2011 Exclusive: Cuba targets military firm in corruption probe Tue, Dec 13 2011 Cubans honor Catholic patron ahead of papal visit Mon, Dec 12 2011 Cuba stops dissident Rights Day protest, 200 held Sat, Dec 10 2011 Analysis & Opinion Lori Berenson – The 15-year assignment Cablevision also joins Time Warner Cable with HBO Go offer Related Topics World » Cuba » By Jeff Franks HAVANA | Fri Dec 23, 2011 10:32pm EST HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuba will release 2,900 prisoners in the coming days for humanitarian reasons in a sweeping amnesty ahead of a visit next spring by Pope Benedict XVI, the Cuban government said on Friday. Those to be pardoned do not include American Alan Gross, serving 15 years in prison for setting up Internet equipment on the island under a secretive U.S. program in a case that stalled progress in U.S.-Cuba relations, a government spokesman said. The ruling Council of State granted the amnesty in a decision that President Raul Castro, in a separate speech to the National Assembly, said had "taken into account" the upcoming papal visit and requests by, among others, top Roman Catholic Church officials in Cuba and family members of the prisoners. President Raul Castro said the ruling Council of State that granted the amnesty had "taken into account" the upcoming papal visit and requests by, among others, top Roman Catholic Church officials in Cuba and family members of the prisoners. The action showed the "generosity and strength" of the Cuban revolution, he said in a speech to the National Assembly. Those to be released included some who had been convicted for crimes against "the security of the state," but the government spokesman said they were not jailed for political reasons. Cuba freed more than a 100 political prisoners in a deal brokered by the Catholic Church in 2010. Cuban dissidents have said there are still at least 60 people behind bars for political reasons. Elizardo Sanchez, head of the independent Cuban Commission on Human Rights, downplayed the importance of the prisoner release. "It's a shallow measure by the government, a gesture to improve its international image," he said. The freed prisoners will include persons more than 60 years of age, prisoners who are ill, women and some young prisoners who had no previous criminal history, the government said. Castro said 86 of the prisoners are foreigners from 25 countries who committed crimes in Cuba, but they would be released only if their countries agreed to repatriate them. The U.S. State Department declined to comment on the amnesty and its failure to include Gross, but has repeatedly said in the past that he was only providing Internet access for Jewish groups in Cuba and should be released immediately. Gross was working as a subcontractor in a U.S.-funded program promoting political change in Cuba. The Cuban government considered it subversive. His arrest halted a brief warming in U.S.-Cuba relations that have been hostile since Fidel Castro embraced Soviet Communism after his 1959 revolution. Pope Benedict said recently he would visit Cuba before Easter, which falls on April 8. It would be the second papal visit to Cuba since Pope John Paul II's historic trip in 1998. After that visit, in which the pontiff criticized the U.S. trade embargo against Cuba, the Cuban government freed about 300 prisoners, including 101 political prisoners. The others were in jail for common crimes. Minor prisoner releases have taken place over the years, usually as a goodwill gesture accompanying the visit of a dignitary such as former U.S. President Jimmy Carter or other foreign representatives. Cuba freed 3,600 political prisoners after then Cuban leader Fidel Castro met with exiles in 1978 during Carter's presidency. Many Cubans had expected President Castro to announce a liberalization of immigration rules that would make it easier for them to travel abroad, but he said only that it was being worked on and changes would be made gradually. (Reporting by Jeff Franks; editing by Anthony Boadle) World Cuba Tweet this Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. 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. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/ Comments (1) DerekBauer wrote: Edition: U.S. Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom Back to top Reuters.com Business Markets World Politics Technology Opinion Money Pictures Videos Site Index Legal Bankruptcy Law California Legal New York Legal Securities Law Support & Contact Support Corrections Advertise With Us Connect with Reuters Twitter Facebook LinkedIn RSS Podcast Newsletters Mobile About Privacy Policy Terms of Use Our Flagship financial information platform incorporating Reuters Insider An ultra-low latency infrastructure for electronic trading and data distribution A connected approach to governance, risk and compliance Our next generation legal research platform Our global tax workstation Thomsonreuters.com About Thomson Reuters Investor Relations Careers Contact Us 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. 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