In a historic agreement with outgoing US President Joe Biden, Cuban opposition leader Jose Daniel Ferrer was one of several detainees freed Thursday, sparking tearful reunions around the communist island.
In a last-ditch effort to solidify his legacy before transferring power to Donald Trump on Monday, Biden agreed to remove Cuba from Washington’s list of terrorism sponsors, making Ferrer, 54, the most well-known of the convicts that Cuba started liberating on Wednesday.
Nelva Ortega told AFP, “Thank God we have him home,” referring to her husband Ferrer, who has spent the last 20 years in and out of jail. His most recent term was three and a half years.
A short while later, Ferrer urged Cubans on a Miami-based radio program to “not be afraid” to stand up to a government he said was “increasingly scared” and “increasingly weak.”
In return for being removed from the US terror list that includes North Korea, Iran and Syria, cash-strapped Cuba promised to release 553 people — many of whom the Biden administration said were “political prisoners.”
By Thursday, Havana had freed about three dozen people, according to rights groups.
The majority were jailed for participating in large-scale anti-government protests in July 2021 in response to frequent power outages, food shortages, and price increases.
On Thursday morning, four inmates were seen leaving the San Miguel del Padron prison outside of Havana, according to AFP.
With tears in his eyes, Marlon Brando Diaz, who was serving an 18-year term for his involvement in the 2021 protests, expressed gratitude for “a new chance in life.”
“It’s a new start,” he said, as he hugged emotional family members.
