A prisoner's face appeared on the X feed of Cuban NGO Justicia 11J as soon as his release was confirmed. The NGO, which has been keeping a record of Cuban political prisoners since the historic demonstrations of July 11, 2021, is following the gradual release of the 553 prisoners by the Cuban regime, which was announced on Tuesday, January 14, after Washington's removal of the island from the list of countries supporting terrorism, on the same day.

The first photo on this X thread was that of Reyna Yacnara Barreto Batista, sentenced to four years' imprisonment for public disorder and held in Camagüey's La Empresita prison since she was 21. The second was Donaida Perez Paseiro, who is serving an eight-year prison sentence and had been adopted as a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International. She was released on Wednesday morning, but not her husband who, like her, has been detained in the province of Santa Clara since 2021.

Although the Cuban authorities do not admit to holding any political prisoners, some 20 people convicted of the July 11, 2021 protests have already been released, as of Thursday morning. "My daughter called me first thing Wednesday morning to tell me she'd been released. After three and a half years, it's a great joy, but all the other political prisoners must be released," Maria Josefa Oramas told Le Monde by telephone from Cuba. Her daughter, Yilia Lucia Oramas, a former activist in the "Juventud Despierta" (Awakened Youth) opposition movement to the Cuban regime, was arrested in Villa Clara in August 2021, during a demonstration outside the funeral home to demand oxygen for Covid-19 patients. She had previously taken part in the July 11, 2021 demonstrations.

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