Havana , Cuba ( CNN ) -- Cuba 's Roman Catholic church has identified 12 more jailed dissidents who are expected to be freed in what would be the largest Cuban prisoner release in more than a decade . The announcement Saturday raises the number of prisoners to be released in the next few days to 17 , roughly one-third of the total amount the government plans to release by mid-November . The move follows a visit by Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos , who met with Cuban President Raul Castro and Cuban Cardinal Jaime Ortega on Wednesday . Cuba 's church earlier announced the names of five other prisoners to be freed , and identified six others to be transferred to prisons closer to their homes . The 52 political prisoners Cuba plans to release are the remainder of a larger group of 75 dissidents who were jailed during a government crackdown on political opposition in March 2003 . They represent roughly one-third of all known political prisoners left on the island , according to Cuba 's unofficial Commission on Human Rights and National Reconciliation . The prisoners will head to Spain upon their release , Spanish Foreign Ministry spokesman Juan Lugo told CNN . Wednesday 's announcement also brought an end to a 134-day hunger strike by Cuban opposition activist Guillermo Farinas . Farinas stopped eating solid foods in February following the death of jailed hunger striker and political dissident Orlando Zapata Tamayo , who was protesting what he described as poor conditions in detention . Zapata 's death sparked international condemnation from Europe and Washington and drew a rare statement of regret from President Castro .
The 12 dissidents would be part of largest prisoner release in a decade . They were detained in a 2003 crackdown . Release follows visit by Spanish foreign minister .