Cuba has pardoned 787 prisoners after Pope Francis called for amnesty.
The state-run newspaper Granma made the announcement on Tuesday and said the pardons were "in response to the call by Pope Francis to heads of state in the Holy Year of Mercy".
The pontiff visited the communist state last year and played a key role in reconciling its political leaders with President Obama and the US. Prior to his visit in September 2015 Cuban authorities released more than 3,500 prisoners as "a goodwill gesture", but human rights groups say dozens of political prisoners are still being held.
Days before the end of Francis' year of mercy, Cuba granted his request and released hundreds more. Those pardoned this week include women, sick and young prisoners but not individuals who had committed "extremely dangerous" crimes such as murder or rape, a statement read.
It added that the Council of State had chosen who to release based on what crimes they had committed and how many years they had served.
Those charged with "murder, corrupting minors, rape, drug trafficking and other extremely dangerous crimes" were not released.
But it was not clear if political prisoners were among those released.
Despite numerous accusations, President Raul Castro has denied imprisoning political opponents. When asked about it at a news conference during US President Obama's visit in March, he told a US reporter to provide a list of names.
Although Cuba's relationship with the Catholic Church is much improved since Pope Francis' ascension, the government continues to crack down on religious groups. Between January and July 2016, Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) recorded 1,606 violations of religious freedom. These included the demolition and confiscation of church buildings, the destruction of church property and arbitrary detention.
CSW has accused the government of targeting church properties "to tighten its control over the activities and membership of religious groups and thus eliminate the potential for any social unrest." The US State department's 2016 report on religious freedom stated that the Cuban government "monitored religious groups" and "continued to control most aspects of religious life".
