Announcement of Cuban prisoners’ release

Press release issued by the Archdiocese of Havana’s spokesman, Orlando Márquez Hidalgo.

Translation by The Miami Herald (From Cuban Colada)

At noon today, Wednesday 7 July, Cardinal Jaime Ortega Alamino was received by Cuban President Raúl Castro Ruz. Also participating in the meeting were the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Spain, Miguel Ángel Moratinos, and the Minister of Foreign Relations of Cuba, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla.

Hours earlier, Cardinal Ortega held a joint working meeting with ministers Moratinos and Rodríguez Parrilla.

During those gatherings today, the participants talked about the process begun last 19 May, when President Raúl Castro Ruz received Cardinal Jaime Ortega and the president of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Cuba, Monsignor Dionisio García Ibáñez.

Until now, the development of that process has permitted the release of one prisoner and the transfer of 12 others to their provinces of residence.

In the course of the meetings today, and following the continuity of the aforementioned process, Cardinal Ortega was informed that in the next several hours six more prisoners will be transferred to their provinces of residence and five more will be freed and may leave soon for Spain in the company of their relatives.

Cuban authorities also informed that the 47 prisoners remaining from the ones who were detained in 2003 will be freed and may leave the country. This process will be carried out in a period of three to four months from this moment.

This process has taken into consideration the proposals previously expressed to Cardinal Ortega by the prisoners’ relatives.

Orlando Márquez Hidalgo

Havana, 7 July 2010