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The White House has announced that President Biden will remove Cuba from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism as part of a deal facilitated by the Catholic Church to secure the release of dozens of political prisoners jailed during Cuba’s 2021 anti-government protests.

Some shit you should know before you read: In July 2021, Cuba witnessed its largest anti-government protests in decades as thousands of citizens took to the streets across the country to voice their frustration over severe food and medicine shortages, prolonged power outages, economic hardships, and the government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. The protests were unprecedented in a country where public dissent is rare. In response, the Cuban government launched a brutal crackdown, arresting over 1,000 demonstrators, with hundreds reportedly sentenced to long prison terms after what human rights groups called unfair trials. The Cuban government blamed the protests on US sanctions and an alleged foreign-backed destabilization campaign, accusing social media platforms and external forces of inciting protests.

What’s going on now: According to the White House, they will remove Cuba from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism as part of a deal to secure the release of “many dozens” of political prisoners detained during Cuba’s 2021 anti-government protests. This decision, facilitated by the Catholic Church, will ease some economic restrictions on Cuba, allowing financial institutions and businesses to engage with the country without the burden of complying with terrorism-related sanctions.

The White House stated that Cuba has provided assurances it will not support acts of terrorism in the future, and the administration determined there is no credible evidence linking Cuba to international terrorism in recent years. The release of these prisoners is expected to take place before President Biden’s term concludes on January 20th.

Pushback: The decision to remove Cuba from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism has drawn sharp criticism from Republican lawmakers and Cuban-American officials. Senator Ted Cruz condemned the move as “unacceptable on its merits,” arguing that “the terrorism advanced by the Cuban regime has not ceased.” Senator Cruz said he was determined to work with the incoming Trump administration to reverse the decision. Congressman Carlos Gimenez labeled President Biden a “pathetic coward” and predicted that the incoming administration would not only reinstate Cuba on the list but “pulverize the regime once and for all.”

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