The Cuban government has released more than 2,000 prisoners as the island faces mounting economic pressure from U.S. sanctions and worsening fuel shortages.
The Cuban Embassy in Washington said authorities have pardoned 2,010 prisoners under provisions of the country’s constitution, citing factors such as good behavior, time already served and health problems.
“This humanitarian and sovereign gesture was based on a careful analysis of the nature of the crimes committed by the prisoners, their good behavior during their captivity, [and] the fact that they had served a significant part of their sentences,” the embassy said in a statement on X.
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Prisoners celebrate as they are released from La Lima prison in Havana on April 3, 2026, after Cuba announced it would pardon 2,010 prisoners amid mounting US pressure. (Yamil Lage/AFP via Getty Images)
Officials said those released include youth, women, older adults, as well as foreigners and Cuban citizens who live abroad but were imprisoned on the island.
The government said it is excluding prisoners convicted of serious crimes including murder, sexual assault, violent robbery, drug offenses and corruption of minors, as well as repeat offenders.
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The move marks the second prisoner release this year and comes during Holy Week, which Cuban officials describe as a usual period for such actions.
The release comes as Cuba grapples with a deepening economic and energy crisis, caused in part by a renewed pressure campaign by the Trump administration aimed at cutting off the island’s access to foreign oil. The restrictions have contributed to widespread fuel shortages, power outages and growing unrest across the country.
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President Donald Trump has threatened tariffs on any country that sends oil to Cuba and has pressured countries including Mexico to halt shipments as part of a broader effort to squeeze the island’s energy supply.
The US also allowed a tanker to deliver fuel to Cuba earlier this week after months of severe shortages, with the White House treating the move as a humanitarian exception and not a policy change.
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A man hugs a loved one after being released from La Lima prison in Havana on April 3, 2026, as Cuba began freeing more than 2,000 prisoners. (Yamil Lage/AFP via Getty Images)
Trump has also escalated his rhetoric, recently saying “Cuba’s next” while discussing U.S. actions abroad, though he later tried to downplay the comment.
The deepening crisis has also led to protests and clashes across the island.
Cuba has been under communist rule since Fidel Castro’s revolution in 1959 and is now led by President Miguel DÃaz-Canel, who succeeded Raúl Castro in 2018.
