( CNN ) -- Cuba will pardon more than 2,900 prisoners , the government said Friday , though U.S. subcontractor Alan Gross is not among those who will be freed . The decision to release the prisoners follows `` numerous requests '' from their family members and religious institutions , and is a humanitarian gesture , said Cuban President Raul Castro . Among those who might be freed are prisoners over the age of 60 , along with those who are sick , female or young with no previous criminal record . With some exceptions , prisoners convicted of spying , terrorism , murder and drug trafficking will not be released . Those who will be freed have already served a `` important '' part of their sentences and exhibited good behavior , according to an official statement published on the state-run website Cubadebate . The jailed American , Gross , will not be among those pardoned , the Cuban Interests Section in Washington said . Gross was jailed in December 2009 , when he was working as a subcontractor on a U.S. Agency for International Development project aimed at spreading democracy . Castro has accused him of importing satellite equipment to connect dissidents to the Internet , and this year Cuba 's highest court upheld the 15-year sentence imposed on Gross for committing crimes against the security of the state . He has maintained his innocence and said he was trying to help connect the Jewish community to the Internet . Castro , speaking to the National Assembly , said that 86 prisoners from 25 countries would be among those released in coming days . He cited the upcoming visit of Pope Benedict XVI as one of the motivations behind the move , which he said showed the `` generosity and strength of the revolution . '' The pope has said he plans to visit Mexico and Cuba before Easter . In 2010 , Castro agreed to free prisoners arrested during the 2003 crackdown on political dissidents . The Caribbean nation has released many of them , as well as other prisoners jailed for `` counterrevolutionary '' activities , ranging from hijacking to arson . CNN 's Willie Lora contributed to this report .
NEW : Alan Gross is not among those who will be pardoned . Cuban President Raul Castro says prisoners from 25 countries will be freed . The move shows the `` generosity and strength of the revolution , '' he says . The president cites the pope 's upcoming visit as a motivation for the release .