The Cuban authorities say the process of releasing 553 prisoners, as announced in January, has now been concluded.

The official Communist Party newspaper, Granma, reported that the releases had been confirmed by Maricela Sosa Ravelo, vice-president of the country’s Supreme Court.

In January, Havana said it would release 553 prisoners convicted of various crimes following an announcement by the outgoing U.S. government led by then-President Joe Biden.

The administration had explained then that this was to enable it to remove the Caribbean country from its list of state sponsors of terrorism.

Mr Biden’s decision to rescind Cuba’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism came in the dying days of his administration.

The decision was seen at the time as largely symbolic.

However, U.S. President Donald Trump took office days after the announcement and rescinded Mr Biden’s action, effectively restoring the status quo.

Mr Trump, who also preceded Mr Biden in the White House, had put Cuba back on the list shortly before the end of his first term in 2021.

(dpa/NAN)