Panama said Cuba released three detained citizens described in a dispute over alleged “subversive” propaganda, and that the women had arrived in Panama following the decision, according to a government statement issued Friday.
The Panamanian government said Cuba released three of 10 of its citizens detained on the island earlier this year. The government thanked Cuba for what it described as the gesture and said it would keep working on behalf of the remaining seven Panamanians who are still in detention, the statement said.
Panama said the three released women have arrived in Panama. The government said it would continue efforts to ensure the well-being of the seven others and to seek a swift resolution to their situation.
Cuba’s Interior Ministry, according to the same AP report, said the Panamanians arrested in Havana in late February were paid to enter Cuba “with the purpose of making signs with subversive content, contrary to the constitutional order.”
The Panamanian government, again according to the AP account, said the detained people had asserted they were ordered to leave Cuba “once the objective was achieved,” and that they would receive between $1,000 and $1,500 each.
Officials did not provide additional details in the report about the timing of the release beyond Panama’s statement that the three had been freed and had traveled to Panama, leaving seven detained as the next unresolved part of the episode.