Cuba to free 200 prisoners

By JUAN O. TAMAYO
Herald Staff Writer

Cuba will free at least 200 prisoners, both dissidents and common criminals, in a massive show of indulgence prompted by Pope John Paul II's pleas for clemency during his visit last month, officials said Thursday.

The number and categories of prisoners to be freed remained unclear, but it appeared that the release could be the largest since the late 1970s. Human rights groups say Cuba holds at least 500 political prisoners.

Both the Cuban government and the Vatican issued statements Thursday that confirmed the releases but failed to say how many political prisoners were included in the total number of inmates to be freed.

It was not possible to determine whether any prisoners had been freed under the program Thursday or when such releases would start.

Cuban Foreign Ministry spokesman Alejandro Gonzalez told a news briefing in Havana that Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Angelo Sodano had presented the Cuban government with a list of 300 ``prisoners of conscience'' whom the pope wished released.

But among those names were 106 people who had already been released from prison after completing their sentences, Gonzalez added.

``Taking into account Cardinal Sodano's request, independently of whether the prisoners were jailed for political or common crimes, it has been decided to free more than 200 prisoners,'' Gonzalez added.

``Several other tens of people will also be freed soon, through the process of clemency grants, which is within the context of Cuban law,'' Gonzalez said, reading from a prepared text. He said the clemency grants were ``justified from a humanitarian view, for reasons of age, health or other similar circumstances'' and included both common criminal and political cases.

Gonzalez's statement was an unusual acknowledgement by the Cuban government that there are political prisoners on the island. Usually, officials argue that dissidents are jailed not for their politics but because their actions violate Cuban laws.

`An act of clemency'

The Vatican's statement said it had been ``informed that the Cuban government has freed a certain number of prisoners as an act of clemency and goodwill to mark the visit of Pope John Paul to Cuba.''

The prisoners released were in ``the tens,'' it added, and ``had been identified some months before by relatives and international human rights organizations.''

``The [Vatican] secretary of state is pleased by this significant development, which represents a concrete prospect of hope for the future of that noble nation,'' said the Vatican's equivalent of a foreign ministry.

Despite the wording of the Vatican statement, the Cuban Foreign Ministry's announcement later in the day did not confirm that any of the releases had been carried out.

Neither statement mentioned the Pope's insistence that released prisoners be ``reinserted'' into society and not forced to leave the country as many freed dissidents have been in the past.

During his trip to Cuba Jan. 21-25, John Paul pushed for expanded freedom and tried to pave the way for the Roman Catholic Church to play a greater role in Cuban society after nearly four decades of communism.

In Cuba, opposition leaders and relatives of imprisoned dissidents waited to learn who was being freed.

``We are waiting very close beside the telephone,'' said Gerardo Sanchez, a member of the Cuban Commission of Human Rights and National Reconciliation, which monitors and documents political jailings in Cuba.

``Even a single case is good news for us,'' Sanchez said by telephone from Havana.

Exiles pleased but wary

In Miami, Cuban exiles were pleased with the announcement but wary of what would happen next to those released.

``It's good news that a group of prisoners can be reunited with their families,'' said Ricardo Bofill, president of the Cuban Committee for Human Rights. ``But we have heard Ricardo Alarcon say they will decide who will be reintegrated into society and who will have to leave the country. That is simply unacceptable. Exile is another punishment, very harsh.''

Bofill, who spent 14 years as a prisoner of conscience in Cuban jails before coming to Miami, said he has seen prisoners released only to be imprisoned again. It happened to him several times.

``I strongly believe this is a result of the Pope's visit,'' said Marivi Prado, president of Women for Human Rights International in Miami. ``This could be taken as a slight victory because it's obtaining the freedom for individuals, but I'm assuming the church and human rights groups are not totally happy because there are almost 500 prisoners and this is just a small group being released.''

Prado urged the church, heads of state, the Vatican, the Archdiocese of New York and human rights organizations to continue to exert pressure so more can be freed.

Herald staff writer Ana Acle and Herald wire services contributed to this report.