The United States has charged former Cuban leader Raúl Castro with the murder of American citizens and involvement in two plane crashes between Cuba and Florida in 1996. The indictment, made public on Wednesday, alleges that Castro and five others are responsible for the deaths of four people, including three American citizens, in crashes involving planes linked to a Cuban-American group called ‘Brothers.’ At the time of the incidents, the 94-year-old Castro was head of Cuba’s armed forces and faced international criticism over the events.
As the US increases pressure on Cuba’s communist government, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel has dismissed the US charges as “political maneuvers without any legal basis.” Speaking at the Freedom Tower in Miami, Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche announced four separate murder charges against Castro related to the downing of planes and resulting deaths.
“The United States and President Trump do not forget, and should not forget, their citizens,” Blanche stated. These charges will be prosecuted in American courts, and some could carry life sentences. At a time when Cuba is attempting political and economic reforms under its one-party system, the US Justice Department has targeted a senior figure from the communist regime.
Responding to the US State Department’s statements, Cuban President Díaz-Canel accused the US of spreading falsehoods and collectively punishing the Cuban people. He described the charges against former leader Castro as an “attempt to legitimize a military attack against Cuba” and expressed objections to the American allegations, asserting that facts about the plane crashes have been distorted.
