Cuba has begun releasing prisoners after announcing a pardon for 2,010 inmates, a move that appears to be part of a broader response to intensifying U.S. pressure on the government in Havana.

On Friday, Cuban authorities started freeing detainees from La Lima penitentiary in eastern Havana, according to reporting from the Taipei Times based on a dispatch that described the release of more than 20 inmates at the facility. The prisoners were seen holding release papers and embracing relatives as they left.

The latest action follows a second prisoner-release announcement in less than a month. It comes as the Cuban government faces growing economic strain, public frustration and renewed external pressure from Washington. The article says the release is occurring amid heightened U.S. pressure on the Cuban government, although the exact terms behind the pardon were not fully laid out in the report.

Cuba’s prisoner releases have taken on added political significance because they are unfolding during a period of broader bilateral tension. The government in Havana has been under strain from economic decline, chronic shortages and repeated criticism from the United States, which has tied sanctions relief to political liberalization and the release of political prisoners.

The report did not identify how many of those being freed were political prisoners versus people convicted of ordinary crimes. It also did not spell out how many releases would take place in the initial phase beyond the more than 20 seen leaving La Lima. But the announcement of a 2,010-inmate pardon suggests the program could be substantial.

The release campaign comes against the backdrop of Cuba’s worsening domestic crisis. The island has struggled with energy shortages, inflation and an increasingly fragile public mood. In that setting, prisoner releases can be read both as a humanitarian gesture and as a political signal aimed at relieving international pressure.

For families waiting outside prison gates, however, the immediate significance is simpler: people are coming home. The report described emotional scenes as former inmates exited with paperwork in hand, underscoring the human impact of a policy decision that is also deeply political.

It remains unclear whether the current release wave will extend to further facilities or whether it will remain limited to selected prisoners. What is clear is that Cuba has begun putting the pardon into effect, and that it is doing so at a moment when its government is trying to manage mounting pressure at home and abroad.