Castro commutes death sentences

Cuban President Raul Castro announced that all death sentences had been commuted to prison terms of 30 years to life except those of three people charged with terrorism.

Castro said two Central Americans charged with hotel bombings in the 1990s that took the life of an Italian tourist, and a Cuban American charged with murder during an attempt at armed infiltration of the island, were not included and their cases were on appeal.

“This does not mean we have eliminated the death penalty from the penal code,” Castro said.