Cuba to release more than 2,000 prisoners, as pressure from US mounts

3 hours agoAdela SulimanAFP via Getty ImagesThe "Combinado del Este" prison, in Havana, pictured in 2013Cuba will free 2,010 prisoners as part of a "humanitarian and sovereign gesture," it announced on Thursday, as it faces continued political pressure from the US. Those freed will include foreign nationals, young people, women and those aged over 60, a statement from the Cuban Embassy in the US said. It said the release was taking place "in the context of the religious celebrations of Holy Week, which is a customary practice in our criminal justice system". Since returning to the White House, US President Donald Trump has made clear his desire to change Cuba's leadership and has implemented an oil blockade, causing severe fuel shortages and widespread blackouts across the country. Cuba holds hundreds of political prisoners behind bars, according to Human Rights Watch, with government critics subject to harassment and criminal prosecution.Eligibility for the release was based on "a careful analysis" of offences, along with "their good conduct while in prison, the fact that they had served a significant portion of their sentences, and their state of health," the embassy statement added.