This Wednesday, the United States Justice Department indicted Raúl Castro, brother of Fidel Castro and one of the key figures of the Cuban regime, for several crimes related to the downing of two small planes in 1996, in which four people died. The decision has been received with enthusiasm by the Cuban population in Miami, while the Government of Cuba has rejected it, considering it a political maneuver without legal basis.
Shortly after the announcement, the US Army also reported the deployment of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz in Caribbean waters, in a context of growing diplomatic tension with Cuba. The US Southern Command presented the arrival of the naval strike group as a demonstration of military capability and strategic presence in the region.
The president of the United States, Donald Trump, has celebrated the court decision. A movement that has its obvious parallels with the drug trafficking accusation that was made against Maduro and that ended with the capture of the Chavista leader.
Havana’s response was immediate. The Cuban Government described the accusation as “political action” and assured that it has no legal basis. President Miguel Díaz-Canel came out in defense of Castro and denounced what he considered an “infamy” against one of the main symbols of the revolution. Furthermore, he insisted that the attack occurred within Cuban jurisdictional waters and responded to a situation that the regime then interpreted as a threat to its security.
Two Brothers to the Rescue planes
The United States Department of Justice made public an accusation filed last April before a federal court in Florida and which remained under judicial secrecy. The charges include conspiracy to murder US citizens, four counts of murder and destruction of aircraft. US authorities maintain that Castro was responsible for ordering the downing of two aircraft belonging to the Brothers to the Rescue organization on February 24, 1996, when he held the position of minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces.
The incident occurred three decades ago, when Cuban military planes attacked two of the organization’s three aircraft, dedicated to locating and rescuing Cuban rafters trying to reach the United States. While the Cuban authorities then defended that the small planes had invaded their airspace, international organizations later concluded that the shootdown occurred over international waters.
The accusation also affects five other former Cuban soldiers allegedly involved in the operation: Emilio José Palacio Blanco, José Fidel Gual Barzaga, Raúl Simanca Cárdenas, Luis Raúl González-Pardo Rodríguez and Lorenzo Alberto Pérez-Pérez.
During the presentation of the charges in Miami, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche assured that the United States will pursue these types of crimes regardless of the time that has passed or the political relevance of the accused. Under US law, those charged could face penalties ranging from life imprisonment to the death penalty for each of the charged murders.
At the moment, Washington has not detailed what the next judicial steps will be. Castro, 94, continues to reside in Cuba and a possible extradition seems unlikely due to the absence of normalized relations between the two countries. Even so, Blanche assured that the former leader will appear before the US Justice “by his own will or otherwise.”
