The U.S. will remove Cuba from its list of state sponsors of terrorism as part of a prisoner release deal. Havana welcomed the move but criticised ongoing U.S. sanctions.
President Joe Biden is to remove the US designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism as part of a prisoner release deal.
"An assessment has been completed, and we do not have information that supports Cuba's designation as being a state sponsor of terrorism. The Government of Cuba has provided assurances that it will not support acts of international terrorism in the future," the White House said on Tuesday.
Speaking about Biden’s policy towards Cuba, the White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that “it focused on achieving practical results with respect to human rights in Cuba and reunify Cuban families, strengthen cultural and educational ties between Cuba and the United States, enable remittances to flow more freely to the Cuban people, and increase support for independent Cuban entrepreneurs.” Right after the statement from White House, Cuba announced its intention to release 553 prisoners detained for "diverse crimes".
The deal for the release of prisoners in Cuba was reached within “a dialogue between the government of Cuba and the Catholic Church.”
With this regard White House official said: “We have been informed by the Catholic Church under the leadership of Pope Francis that the Cuban government will soon begin releasing a substantial number of political prisoners.”
There is hope that the list will include participants in massive anti-government protests four years ago. Human Rights Watch reported more than 1,000 individuals in Cuba met the definition of political prisoners.
The island nation was placed on the list on Jan. 11, 2021, during the first Trump administration. The White House said at the time its aim was “denying the Castro regime the resources it uses to oppress its people at home and countering its malign interference in Venezuela and the rest of the Western Hemisphere.”
Cuba welcomed Washington's announcement Tuesday as a step in the "right direction," but lamented it was still under US sanctions in place since 1962.
Country’s foreign ministry said in press release: "Despite its limited scope, this is a decision that points to the right direction and is in line with the sustained and firm demand by the government and the people of Cuba."
"The decision announced today by the United States, rectifies, in a very limited way, some aspects of a cruel and unjust policy… The economic warfare is still in place and persists in posing a major obstacle to the development and recovery of the Cuban economy, with a high human cost for the population; and continues to be an incentive for emigration," it added.
Cuba has been one of just four nations designated as state sponsors of terrorism, along with North Korea, Iran and Syria. Designation implicates sanctions laws that penalize persons and countries engaging in certain trade with state sponsors in addition to the four main categories of sanctions including restrictions on US foreign assistance, a ban on defence exports and sales, certain controls over exports of dual use items, and miscellaneous financial and other restrictions.
The US has imposed sanctions on four Cuban judicial officials for their role in jailing a peaceful protester in 2020, citing gross human rights violations and lack of judicial independence.
Power is gradually being restored in parts of Havana after a nationwide blackout left millions without electricity. The outage, caused by a grid collapse on Friday evening, affected around 10 million people, with some areas seeing progress while large portions of Cuba remain in the dark.
Cuba’s power grid has collapsed, causing a nationwide blackout and internet disruptions.
Cuba has granted early release to 553 prisoners as part of a deal mediated by the Holy See during the final days of former U.S. President Joe Biden’s presidency.
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President Ilham Aliyev today inaugurated Azerbaijan's largest power plant in Mingachevir, constructed in partnership with Italian and Chinese companies.
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Iran launched 18 ballistic missiles late Sunday targeting the U.S. military’s Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest American installation in the Middle East.
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Floods triggered by relentless monsoon rains have forced people to evacuate across China's Guizhou province, with cities urging residents to flee rising waters as infrastructure collapses and warnings of more extreme weather loom.
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A deadly weekend attack on a hospital in Sudan claimed the lives of more than 40 people, including children and healthcare workers, drawing international condemnation.
A record 740 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity was added worldwide last year, but it's still not enough to meet a global goal to triple renewable capacity by 2030, according to a report by the Paris-based thinktank REN21 showed on Tuesday.
President Ilham Aliyev today inaugurated Azerbaijan's largest power plant in Mingachevir, constructed in partnership with Italian and Chinese companies.
Floods triggered by relentless monsoon rains have forced people to evacuate across China's Guizhou province, with cities urging residents to flee rising waters as infrastructure collapses and warnings of more extreme weather loom.
The two-day Fintex Summit 2025 – Finance and Technologies Expo – has officially opened in Baku, bringing together key players from the financial and tech sectors to explore innovation, digitalisation, and regulatory trends.
Oil prices fell sharply for a second day after Israel confirmed a U.S.-brokered ceasefire with Iran, easing fears that the conflict would disrupt global energy supplies.
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