The three to be released next will also travel to Spain, bringing to 42 the number of former political prisoners who have agreed to an international move following their release.
Their names are Ciro Pérez Santana, Arturo Suárez Ramos and Rolando Jiménez Posada. They are not part of the original group of 52 that the government agreed to release in July.
Hence, this release seems to confirm the government’s intention to continue releasing political prisoners, beyond the 52 already promised.
To date 39 political prisoners, sentenced in the “Black Spring” of 2003, have been released and traveled to Spain with their families. Thirteen of these opponents still remain in prison, at least 12 of whom refuse to go to Spain.
Jiménez Posada is considered a “prisoner of conscience” by Amnesty International, while Suárez Ramos is considered the Cuban political prisoner with the second longest time in prison. He was sentenced to 30 years in 1987.
