Biden’s prisoner release deal would remove Cuba on the US Terrorism List

Cuba has agreed to release 553 inmates, including anti-government demonstrators, and the Biden administration plans to remove the island nation from the US terrorism list.

The Biden administration has said that, as part of a prisoner release arrangement, it will take Cuba off the list of states that sponsor terrorism. 

The White House acknowledged this action on Tuesday after Cuba promised to free 553 detainees who had been found guilty of a variety of crimes. Some are expected to be released, including those who were jailed for taking part in anti-government demonstrations four years prior. 

As Donald Trump was coming to the end of his term in 2021, Cuba was designated as a state sponsor of terrorism. Restrictions, such as a prohibition on US arms shipments and economic assistance, were reintroduced as part of the designation. But a senior Biden administration official said that a recent examination had not discovered any proof to support Cuba’s listing. 

Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that while the decision was a positive move, it was just a little one. The US sanctions and other coercive measures have caused serious harm to the Cuban economy and its people, according to a statement from the ministry. Hours later, a different statement was released confirming that the Catholic Church would mediate the discussions and that the prisoner releases would be carried out gradually. 

Although the identities of individuals set to be released have not been made public, there is hope that the agreement may lead to the release of demonstrators who were arrested during the 2021 protests, which were sparked by economic woes. 

Along with North Korea, Syria, and Iran, Cuba is now classified as a state sponsor of terrorism, a designation given to nations that are thought to have continuously encouraged acts of international terrorism. The Trump administration used Cuba’s backing of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro as justification for the country’s 2021 categorization. Cuba at the time criticized the move as “hypocritical” and “political opportunism.” 

This recent event is seen as a possible step in the direction of better US-Cuba ties. It may spark more extensive debates on divisive topics and offer some respite to Cuba’s faltering economy, which has been made worse by challenges in attracting foreign capital and navigating global financial institutions, according to analysts. 

The White House said that President Biden will report to Congress on further actions, such as lifting some of the Trump-era financial restrictions that Cubans face and halting individual claims to property that has been seized in Cuba. 

It’s unclear if this ruling would stand up in a future Trump administration because the president-elect has made clear that he supports sanctions on Cuba. Citing personal links to Cuba, where his family resided before Fidel Castro came to power in the 1950s, his choice for secretary of state, Marco Rubio, has long argued for a tough strategy against the Cuban regime.