Cuban humanitarian groups posted a video on Thursday, May 14, of political prisoners being released amid pressure from the United States and high-stakes diplomatic negotiations.
A video of Sissi Abascal Zamora hugging her loved ones outside La Berotex women’s prison has gone viral.
The announcement came a day after USA TODAY’s exclusive report on two other Cuban political prisoners who were given ultimatums of deportation or imprisonment after secret talks between U.S. and Cuban officials in Havana. They said they had chosen asylum but were still locked up in prison.
The Cuban Human Rights Observatory released footage of a woman being released from prison after nearly five years in prison. She was sentenced to six years in prison for participating in a protest in Matanzas on July 11, 2021.
The outlet “CiberCuba” reported that the release was facilitated by Santiago Alvarez, a prominent Miami developer who heads the Legal Rescue Foundation on condition of leaving the country.
Coinciding with the timing of the May 14 announcement, a U.S. military jet flew from Andrews Air Force Base to Havana’s Jose Martí International Airport. The modified Boeing 737 used for this flight is routinely used by the State Department for diplomatic travel.
The plane departed from Andrews at 6:16 a.m. with the call sign “Special Air Mission,” according to tracking website Flightradar 24. The aircraft landed in Havana and returned to MacDill Air Force Base in the afternoon.
Reuters reported that CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with Cuba’s Interior Minister on May 14, according to Cuban government officials.
The State Department did not immediately respond to inquiries about the escape and the release of prisoners.
Contributed by: Reuters.
