The Justice Department filed charges against Castro94, in federal court for the Southern District of Florida. He accuses him of ordering, when he was minister of the Cuban Armed Forcesthe shooting down of the two small planes carrying three Cuban-American citizens and a Cuban legal resident of the United States.
If found guilty at trial, The maximum sentence that Castro could receive is the death penalty or the life sentence.
The case dates back to February 24, 1996, when two small planes belonging to the organization Brothers to the Rescue They were intercepted and shot down by Cuban MiG fighters.
Former Cuban President Raúl Castro (C) and former Vice President José Ramón Machado Ventura (R) attend a May Day demonstration in Havana, on May 1, 2026. (Photo by YAMIL LAGE / AFP).
/ YAMIL LAGE
The charges were read Wednesday by the acting US attorney general, Todd Blanchein the Miami Freedom Towersymbol of the Cuban exile.
Blanche indicated that President Donald Trump is committed to the principle of: “if you kill Americans, we will hunt you down.”.
“We also do not forget the families, loved ones and friends who have carried the pain and sorrow for 30 years”he added.
The accusation also includes other Cuban soldiers allegedly involved: Emilio José Palacio Blanco, José Fidel Gual Barzaga, Raúl Simanca Cárdenas, Luis Raúl González-Pardo Rodríguez and Lorenzo Alberto Perez-Perez.
Attorney General Blanche maintained that Raúl Castro will face justice in the United States “by his own will or any other way,” by stating that there is an arrest warrant against him and that the murder charge “is not just for show.”
Two of the members of the Brothers to the Rescue organization, occupants of the plane shot down by the Cuban Air Force, are placed on the stand during a press conference of Republican congressmen. (EFE/Lenin Nolly).
The accusation against Raul Castro It transcends the strictly judicial sphere and is part of a broader strategy of pressure by the Trump administration on Cuba. Washington has simultaneously tightened economic, military and diplomatic pressure on the island.
The messages and measures adopted in recent months by the United States on the island point to a broad objective: force profound changes in the Cuban political, economic and security model and weaken the power of the current ruling apparatus.
Washington has also said publicly that it wants the release of political prisoners and reduce or end the influence of Russia and China on the island.
Furthermore, he wants to weaken the role of GAESAthe military conglomerate that Washington considers to be a center of economic power within the Cuban system.
The closest thing to a public political definition came from the Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday, stating that the Trump administration wants a “new relationship” with Cuba, but not with the current government or with the structures that control the Cuban economy.
A Cessna 337 Skymaster light aircraft similar to those shot down by the Cuban MiGs on February 24, 1996. (Creative Commons).
Juan Alvarez Vita, who was ambassador of Peru in Cuba, told The Commerce that the accusation against Raul Castro It should not be interpreted solely as a judicial decision, but as a piece within a broader strategy of pressure from the United States on Cuba.
“I believe that nothing substantial has changed compared to the event that occurred almost 30 years ago. What the United States is looking for is some argument that allows it to justify special activity towards Cuba, perhaps similar to the strategy it applied with Venezuela.Oh Nicolás Maduro”, held.
The diplomat also pointed out that the moment chosen has a political and symbolic charge, since it coincides with the commemoration of the May 20, which marks the birth of the Republic of Cubaa date that has been claimed by exile sectors in Miami. “There is a combination of political and symbolic factors surrounding this decision,” he stated.
For Álvarez Vita, the initiative must be read within a broader international framework. “What is happening today has an obvious geopolitical dimension. It occurs in a context of international tensionsthe relationship between the United States with China and Russia and concerns about the presence and influence of both countries in Cuba”he explained.
Asked about the possibility of an operation similar to the one applied against Maduro, who was extracted from Venezuela by the United States on January 3 and taken to a jail in New York, Álvarez Vita considered that a formal accusation would function mainly as a sign of pressure rather than as a preliminary step to immediate action.
“If acted with a certain logic, this could be taken as a threatening measure. Cuba is going through a very difficult situation and these types of actions could seek to increase internal pressure”he stated.
However, he avoided ensuring that an extraction operation could take place. “It is a scenario that could be proposed within certain hypotheses, but at this moment it is difficult to say,” he added.
Álvarez Vita maintained that an accusation against a historical figure like Raúl Castro would send an important signal to the region. In his opinion, several governments have already reduced their level of relationship with Havana, although he noted that countries like Brazil could maintain different positions due to political affinities.
Likewise, he believed that An eventual advance by Washington on the Cuban case could have internal repercussions for Trump in the face of the legislative elections in November. “In a complex international context, achieving some result regarding Cuba could represent an important political victory for the American president,” he stated.
Regarding the possibility that Havana finally accepts a new relationship with Washington, the ambassador estimated that The Cuban Government could be forced to make gradual adjustments. “I believe that Cuba would have no other alternative but to give in, although probably not immediately. It would try to do so in a way that allows it to present it internally as its own decision and not as a defeat.”he pointed out.
He also warned that The island faces a delicate economic scenario, marked by problems of supply, energy and basic services. “The current situation is extremely difficult and limits the government’s room for maneuver,” he concluded.
The shooting down of the Hermanos al Rescate planes
José Basulto, president of the Cuban organization in exile Brothers to the Rescue, appears next to a small plane on August 3, 2006 in Miami. (AFP PHOTO/Roberto SCHMIDT).
/ ROBERTO SCHMIDT
He February 24, 1996three civil planes Cessna 337 Skymaster of the organization Brothers to the Rescue They took off from the Opa-locka airport in Miami towards the Strait of Florida.
Its official mission was to carry out search operations for Cuban rafters. who were trying to reach the United States and alert the rescue services. However, the group already maintained strong tension with the Cuban Government because months before it had carried out flights near the island and some of its members had launched pamphlets against the regime over Havana.
The fateful day, fighter planes MiG-29 and MiG-23 of the Cuban Air Force intercepted the aircraft. Two of the three small planes were destroyed with air-to-air missiles and a third, piloted by José Basulto—founder of Hermanos al Rescate—managed to escape and return to Florida. They died Armando Alejandre Jr., Carlos Costa, Mario de la Peña and Pablo Morales.
Where did the demolition occur? That key piece of information is the center of a dispute. Cuba He maintained that the aircraft had repeatedly penetrated his airspace and that he acted to protect his sovereignty. United States and later International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) They concluded that the two downed planes were in international airspace, north of the 24th parallel and outside Cuban territorial waterswhen they were attacked.
As a consequence of the event, there was no immediate judicial accusation against senior Cuban leaders. But the case did produce international investigations and a huge political reaction in the United States. President Bill Clinton condemned the demolition and shortly after signed the Helms-Burton lawwhich significantly toughened sanctions against Cuba.
Later, in the 2003US prosecutors brought charges against three Cuban military officers linked to the shootdown: the war pilots who fired the shots, the brothers Lorenzo Alberto and Francisco Pérez Pérez; and its military chief, General Rubén Martínez Puente. However, none of them were extradited or appeared before American justice, so the case did not move forward.
