The Cuban government has quietly commuted the sentence of Alina López Miyares, a Cuban American teacher in Miami who was sent to prison after she was accused of espionage in 2017, in an unusual gesture that might signal Havana’s willingness to remove a diplomatic roadblock to further engagement with the United States.
Citing good conduct, her chronic high blood pressure and “elemental principles of humanism,” a military court released López Miyares on parole last month. However, she cannot leave the country until 2030, when the 13-year original sentence ends, according to a copy of the July 8 court decision obtained by the Miami Herald.
Jason Poblete, one of her lawyers and president of the Global Liberty Alliance, said there was “notable progress” in the case and that her family hopes she could return to her home in the U.S. soon.
