A well-known opposition activist was released by Cuban authorities on Thursday, marking a last-minute diplomatic turnabout for the Biden administration, which had pushed for his release but had long appeared powerless to affect events on the island.
Two days after a sudden burst of diplomatic action involving the communist-run island in the final days of the Biden administration, Jose Daniel Ferrer, the leader of one of the biggest anti-government organizations in Cuba that has been outlawed, was freed.
State Department officials said Tuesday that Cuba had been taken off the US list of nations that aid terrorism and that Cuban officials had granted a Vatican request to release Cubans imprisoned for a variety of offenses, including anti-government activism.
