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HAVANA — An American government subcontractor jailed in Cuba for crimes against the state is not among nearly 3,000 prisoners granted amnesty by President Raul Castro on Friday, said a senior Foreign Ministry official.
“Alan Gross is not on the list,” said Josefina Vidal, dashing the hopes of Gross’ supporters in the United States, who have been pleading with Cuban authorities to release the 62-year-old Maryland native on humanitarian grounds. Vidal heads the Foreign Ministry’s North American affairs division.
In a speech to lawmakers, Castro said his country would pardon 2,900 prisoners, including some convicted of political crimes.
