Biden Moves to Remove Cuba from Terror List as Havana Frees Hundreds of Prisoners
The U.S. decision aims to improve relations and facilitate the release of political detainees, though its permanence under the incoming Trump administration remains uncertain.
- President Joe Biden has announced plans to remove Cuba from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism, citing a lack of evidence to justify its inclusion.
- In response, the Cuban government has started releasing prisoners, including individuals detained during the 2021 anti-government protests, with 553 total releases planned.
- The Cuban government welcomed the move as a positive step but criticized it as overdue and insufficient without lifting the decades-long U.S. trade embargo.
- The decision comes just days before Donald Trump's inauguration, raising concerns that the policy could be reversed, as Trump previously reinstated Cuba on the terror list in 2021.
- The Catholic Church played a mediating role in the agreement, aligning the prisoner releases with the Vatican's 2025 Jubilee Year initiative.
Die Zeit 
junge Welt 
Stern 
Der Tagesspiegel 
WELT 
DER SPIEGEL 
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung 