Cuba will free 52 political prisoners, Cuba's Catholic church has said, in a major concession to international pressure and a possible step toward improved relations with the United States and Europe.
The church said five of the prisoners would be freed later today and allowed to go to Spain, while the remaining 47 would be released over the next few months and permitted to leave the communist-led Caribbean island, if they choose.
The 52 men are those still in jail from 75 arrested in a 2003 government crackdown against dissidents that damaged Cuba's international standing.
The release was the result of recent dialogue between President Raul Castro and Cuban Catholic leader Cardinal Jaime Ortega as the church has taken a more prominent role in national affairs.
Spanish foreign minister Miguel Angel Moratinos came to Havana this week to join in their discussions.
He said the release would "open a new era in Cuba ... with the desire to definitively resolve the question of the prisoners." The release would be the largest since 1998, when 101 political prisoners were among about 300 inmates freed following a visit by Pope John Paul II.
It will reduce the number of dissidents behind bars to about 100, which moves Cuba closer to eliminating one of the biggest stumbling blocks in its relations with the United States and Europe.
The United States and European Union have long pressed Havana to free political prisoners, improve human rights and move toward democracy.
The Cuban Commission for Human Rights said on Monday that Cuba had 167 political prisoners, including 10 who were out on parole, which was the lowest number since the 1959 revolution that put Fidel Castro in power.
The US State Department issued a cautious statement, saying it was working to confirm the church's report but "would view prisoner releases as a positive development".
Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin said Ireland had played an "active role" in seeking the release of these political prisoners and that he had repeatedly raised the concern of the State in meetings with Cuban ministers and officials.
"I very much welcome the Cuban Government’s decision to resolve this divisive issue in a comprehensive and positive way, and I want to also acknowledge the efforts of the Catholic Church in Cuba and the role of the Spanish foreign minister, Miguel Angel Moratinos in achieving this outcome."
Mr Martin said he hoped that with the release of the prisoners relations between Cuba and the European Union could move forward.
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Cuban-born member of the US Congress from Florida and the top Republican on the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, warned against being "fooled" by the government in Havana and said "maximum pressure must be exerted" until all Cubans are free.
Reaction from Cuban dissidents was mixed, with Elizardo Sanchez of the independent Cuban Commission on Human Rights saying the release was "something good" but not an indication that Cuba's human rights will improve.
Laura Pollan, leader of the dissident group Ladies in White, said the release was an important moment in Cuba.
"I believe we are at the doors of a change, a significant change," said Ms Pollan, whose husband Hector Maceda was one of those still behind bars from the 2003 crackdown.
Hopefully, she said, it will be "the first steps of a true freedom, of a true democracy." Cuba's state-run television reported Mr Castro met Cardinal Ortega and Mr Moratinos yesterday but did not mention the prisoner release.
Cuba came under heavy international criticism after the February 23rd death of hunger-striking dissident Orlando Zapata Tamayo and in recent weeks has slightly relaxed its policy toward dissidents, whom it views as mercenaries working for the United States and other enemies to topple the government.
Mr Zapata's death prompted another dissident, Guillermo Farinas, to launch a hunger strike that, after 134 days, reportedly has brought him near death in a hospital in the central city of Santa Clara.
He is demanding the release of 25 ailing political prisoners, who are believed to be included in the group to be freed. But Mr Farinas said through his spokeswoman that he would not yet abandon his strike because he has not received word from the church or the government.
Reuters