Cuba to release 52 political prisoners

The Cuban government has agreed to release 52 political prisoners.



This is the largest number of prisoners being allowed to walk free in decades.



The head of the Catholic Church in Cuba, Cardinal Jaime Ortega, says five prisoners will be freed later today and allowed to go to Spain with their families.



The remaining 47 will be released within months.



The release was announced after a meeting between the Cuban president, Raul Castro, and the Spanish Foreign Minister, Miguel Angel Moratinos.



The Cuban government has repeatedly denied that any of the 167 persons currently in jail are political prisoners.