Hundreds of prisoners set to be released as part of agreement with outgoing Biden administration that removes Cuba from terrorism-sponsor list

When Maykel González Vivero, a journalist and LGBTQ+ activist, was picked up by police during massive street protests in Cuba in July 2021, he was driven to a detention centre on the outskirts of Havana and thrown into a jail cell with dozens of others.

“When I was in that cell I thought I would never get out. I prepared myself mentally,” he said. He was released that night, but hundreds of others were not.