Cuba announced Thursday it is pardoning more than 2,000 prisoners, marking one of the largest such releases in years and the second within a month. The Cuban Embassy in Washington described the latest pardons as a "humanitarian and sovereign gesture" timed to coincide with Holy Week, a significant religious observance in the predominantly Catholic nation.

The announcement follows a pledge in March to release 51 political prisoners, a move made after discussions facilitated by the Vatican, which has historically mediated between Cuba and the United States. The release of political prisoners has been a stated priority for U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Cuba's action last month appeared to be a response to the Trump administration's efforts to exert pressure on the Cuban government, including a monthslong oil blockade that led to severe fuel shortages and power outages across the island. The U.S. later permitted a Russian oil tanker to reach Cuba, alleviating some of the economic strain.

It remains uncertain whether the new round of pardons is connected to ongoing negotiations between Washington and Havana. The U.S. State Department stated it was "aware of reports of a forthcoming prisoner release," but emphasized that "it is unclear how many, if any, political prisoners will be released." The department reiterated its call for the "immediate release of the hundreds of other brave Cuban patriots who remain unjustly detained."

The Cuban Embassy specified that the 2,010 prisoners to be released include young individuals, women, those over 60, foreign nationals, and Cuban citizens residing abroad. The pardons will not apply to individuals convicted of murder, drug offenses, sexual assault, or "crimes against authority," a term frequently used in cases involving political dissidents. No names of the pardoned prisoners were immediately provided.

Michael Bustamante, chairman of Cuban and Cuban American studies at the University of Miami, noted that identifying the prisoners, particularly whether they are political dissidents, would be a crucial indicator for U.S.-Cuba negotiations. Salomé Garcia, founder of the Miami-based Cuban rights advocacy group Justicia 11J, expressed skepticism that many political prisoners would be among those freed. Prisoners Defenders, a human rights organization based in Spain, recently estimated that more than 1,200 such prisoners are currently held in Cuba. Alina Bárbara López, a historian and opposition activist in Matanzas, Cuba, cautioned that the government has previously re-arrested individuals after large-scale releases when protests reignited.

One American dual citizen, Alina López Miyares of Miami, has been imprisoned in Cuba for nine years on an espionage conviction, a charge she and her family deny. Cuba has conducted several large-scale prisoner releases since 2011, including more than 3,500 during Pope Francis's visit in 2015. According to Cubalex, an exiled rights group, 23 of the 51 political prisoners whose release was announced in March have so far been freed.