Cuba releases thousands of prison inmates amid coronavirus fears
The Cuban government has jailed more than 300 people on charges of “spreading an epidemic,” but has sent home 6,579 inmates in an attempt to avoid coronavirus contagion in prisons, one the largest releases of inmates in decades.
Speaking on state television on Thursday, Otto Molina, the president of the Criminal Chamber of Cuba’s Supreme Court, said that most of the inmates benefited from an “early release” under parole.
“The court concluded that with the time served, they didn’t need to reach the end of the sentence in prison,” Molina said.
Another 412 people in provisional custody were released in March and April to await trial at home under surveillance.
But as many leave the prisons, others are going in, mostly for resisting government measures to contain the coronavirus pandemic. Even not wearing a mask could land Cubans in jail.
Molina said that 503 people had been penalized for “offenses related to COVID-19,” and 335 were sentenced to jail time.
The Cuban Observatory for Human Rights, based in Madrid, said the prisoners’ release was a “positive measure” but added that incarcerating 335 people was “counterproductive” because the Cuban penal code allows for less severe sanctions.
So far, the government has said that there are no cases of coronavirus infections in prisons and it has taken several steps to contain its spread, including the suspension of family visits and isolating inmates who show possible symptoms of COVID-19.
The most recent official numbers published by the Cuban government are from 2012, and place the number of inmates in Cuban prisons at about 57,000. But Prisoners Defenders, a Cuban exile group, believes the figure could be as high as 123,000.
Family members have complained of the conditions in Cuban prisons, and several activists and international organizations have asked the island’s government to release prisoners, including those incarcerated for political reasons.
According to a petition signed by 15 Cuban exile organizations, political prisoners are receiving the worst treatment during the pandemic.
“They are confined to punishment cells, they are usually transferred to prisons distant from their families, their food and hygiene products are confiscated, and their rights to make phone calls are suspended,” the petition said.
“To all this, we must add overcrowding, poor hygiene and food, and inadequate medical care,” the organizations wrote.
In particular, Amnesty International called last week for the release of 63-year-old independent journalist Roberto Quiñones, imprisoned since September for “resistance” and “disobedience.”
In a press release, the organization said Quiñones was held in the Provincial Prison of Guantánamo “in concerning sanitary conditions, according to reports. His family stated he has also developed health conditions, which may put him at increased risk in the face of COVID-19.”
The Cuban government does not recognize political prisoners as such, and claims they are criminals.
In July last year, the government pardoned 2,604 convicts, after releasing 787 in late 2016. The Obama administration also secured the release of 53 political prisoners in 2015, but some were arrested again.
Follow Nora Gámez Torres on Twitter: @ngameztorres
This story was originally published May 1, 2020 at 2:06 PM.