Former Cuban president Raúl Castro indicted in US over 1996 fatal downing of two planes
- On Wednesday, the U.S. Justice Department unsealed an indictment charging former Cuban President Raúl Castro with murder, conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals, and aircraft destruction tied to the 1996 shootdown of two civilian planes.
- Cuban MiG-29 fighter jets destroyed two unarmed Brothers to the Rescue Cessna aircraft over international waters on February 24, 1996, killing four men after the regime repeatedly warned the group to cease overflights.
- Prosecutors allege Castro, the former defense minister, authorized the use of deadly force against the humanitarian group, building on decades of federal investigation into the regime's military actions.
- Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel condemned the charges as having "no legal basis," while U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged the Cuban people to demand free-market leadership in a Spanish-language video.
- Although extradition remains unlikely as Castro resides in Cuba, legal experts suggest the indictment serves as a tactical pressure point for future diplomatic concessions, mirroring strategies used against former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
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Indictment of former Cuban president includes 5 fighter jet pilots involved in 1996 plane downings
Federal authorities in the United States have charged former Cuban President Raúl Castro and five fighter pilots in the 1996 downing of civilian planes operated by Miami-based exiles. The indictment announced Wednesday emerged as the Trump administration continues its pressure…
Trump administration’s indictment of Raúl Castro is pretext for war on Cuba
After kidnapping Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January and killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei the following month, President Donald Trump declared “Cuba is next.” With the unsealing of a criminal indictment against former Cuban President Raúl Castro on May 20, the administration in Washington is preparing to make good on its threat. The U.S. Department of Justice filed murder and conspiracy charges against Castro in r…
The US Department of Justice is prosecuting former Cuban President Raúl Castro for shooting down American planes in 1996. The message is...
By Rey Rodríguez, CNN en Español For the Cuban journalist based in Miami Wilfredo Cancio, the U.S. Department of Justice's indictment against Cuba's former president Raúl Castro for the shooting down of two civilian planes of the Hermanos al Rescate organization in 1996 is an act of historic justice with the Cuban community of Florida.
The United States Department of State accused Raul Castro, former President of Cuba, 94 years old, of murder and conspiracy to kill Americans in a case that occurred 30 years ago related to Brothers to the Rescue. The Cuban government reacted by saying that the United States does not have “universal jurisdiction.” This was denounced by the [...]
What We're Watching: Former Cuban president indicted by US, & More
US amps up pressure on Cuba by indicting ex-presidentThe Justice Department yesterday charged Raúl Castro, the younger brother of Fidel, with murder and a conspiracy to kill American citizens over a 1996 incident in which the Cuban military shot down two civilian planes belonging to Cuban exiles off the coast of the communist-run island. The indictment creates potential scope for the US to seize the 94-year-old from Cuba, akin to how Special For…
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