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| Among those receiving pardons are young people who have received an education in the prison schools and that no longer represent a threat to society. Photo: Raquel Perez |
By Fernando Ravsberg, Havana Times, December 25, 2011
HAVANA TIMES, Dec 25 — President Raul Castro announced
in parliament the pardon of 2,900 of prisoners, mostly the sick, elderly, women
and youth who — despite not having completed their sentences — have the
potential for reintegration into Cuban society.
Among those to be released are some individuals
convicted of crimes against national security who have completed parts of their
sentences with good behavior, in addition to 86 foreign nationals from 25
countries held in Cuban prisons.
Since 2008 the Cuban courts released 300 political
prisoners, including those who were internationally regarded as prisoners of
conscience; in addition, the government commuted the death sentences of dozens
of other prisoners.
At the same time, an announcement was made concerning
preparations to strengthen the prosecution of those involved in “white collar”
crime, theft and scams carried out by managers and officials, who, according to
Castro, have become the principal enemy of the revolution.
Regarding much awaited immigration law reforms, he said
this will continue to be studied and that “the changes required concerning this
complex subject” will be introduced gradually, while evaluations will be made
of the pros and cons of each step.
INCLUDED AND EXCLUDED
The Cuban president said that this procedure to release
inmates would begin taking place every year so that the justice system could
release greater numbers of prisoners according to their conduct, the type of
crime committed, and their health and family conditions.
In
the future the judicial system will make a similiar annual review for releasing
thousands of prisoners. Photo: Raquel Perez
Among those pardoned are young people, many of whom are
in prison-schools, where their sentences are reduced in proportion to their
progress in school as well as the possibility of them going on to college.
Castro explained that “the pardons will exclude those
who were convicted of crimes of espionage, terrorism, murder, drug trafficking,
violent pederasty, rape, the corruption of minors and armed robbery.”
Apparently this would exclude the possibility of pardons
for the Central Americans who in exchange for money planted bombs in Cuban
tourist hotels in 1997, causing several injuries and the death of a young
Italian.
Nor would it benefit US citizen Alan Gross, sentenced to
15 years for participating in an operation financed by Washington to sneak
communications equipment onto the island. Cuba continues to propose a “humanitarian
way out” of that case, which includes its five agents (Cuban Five) imprisoned
in the US.
THE RELIGIOUS TOUCH
The president explained that the pardon was in response
to the requests from relatives of the prisoners, evangelical and Catholic
churches, as well as for the Pope’s upcoming visit and the 400th anniversary of
the apparition of the Virgin de la Caridad del Cobre, the patroness of Cuba.
Not surprisingly, Castro made these references to the
churches as they have in fact become powerful allies. Since the 1990s, the
government has developed closer relations with the evangelical churches – some
of them even have deputies in parliament.
Relations with the Catholic Church were stormy for
decades, but in 1998 — with the arrival of Pope John Paul II — a period of
dialogue began, one whose most notable accomplishment was the release of
political prisoners in 2010.
The announcement of the trip to Cuba next year by Pope
Benedict XVI is another step in convergence of interests between the two sides,
with the church seeking to regain its social influence and the government
attempting to gain a powerful international ally.
THE PRINCIPAL ENEMY
Prisons will not be left emptied. While political and
common prisoners leave through one door, in the other will be entering Castro
said dozens of “corrupt bureaucrats under charges of fraud and acts of
opportunism that they committed when still occupying positions for amassing
fortunes and while counting on the eventual defeat of the Revolution.”
Among
those receiving pardons are young people who have received an education in the
prison schools and that no longer represente a threat to society. Photo: Raquel
Perez
“Corruption is now one of the principal enemies of the
Revolution, much more harmful than subversive and interventionist activity by
the US government and its allies inside and outside the country,” said the
Cuban president to the legislators.
Finally, he announced that these crimes committed by “domestic
and foreign managers and officials” would be fought “with all the severity
permitted by our laws just like when we successfully faced the emerging drug
trafficking.”
Since assuming power, the campaign against corruption
has uncovered millions of dollars in embezzlement and fraud in nickel, cigars,
telephone services, civil aviation and food importing, with some foreign
business executives and dozens of Cuban managers and officials — including a
minister — ending up in jail.
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