Panama thanks Cuba for releasing 3 of its citizens as 7 others remain detained

PANAMA CITY, Panama — Panama’s government said Cuba has released three of 10 of its citizens detained on the island earlier this year and accused of fabricating subversive propaganda.

The three women, who were released, have arrived in Panama, according to a government statement issued Friday.

Panama thanked Cuba for the gesture and said it would continue efforts to ensure the well-being of the seven other Panamanians who remain detained and a swift resolution to their situation.

Cuba’s Interior Ministry has said that the Panamanians who were arrested in Havana in late February were paid to enter the island “with the purpose of making signs with subversive content, contrary to the constitutional order.”

The government has asserted that those detained said they were ordered to leave Cuba “once the objective was achieved,” and that they would receive between $1,000 and $1,500 each.