HAVANA, Cuba (ACN) – The Anti-Imperialist Tribunal in Havana was the site of a popular demonstration rejecting the indictment filed by the US Department of Justice against Army General Raúl Castro Ruz for the downing of a Brothers to the Rescue plane in 1996.
US indictment in Miami, alleges that Raul Castro was responsible for the deaths of four crew members, three of them US citizens, during the incident in Cuban airspace. Cuban authorities have described the indictment as a political provocation lacking legitimacy and jurisdiction.
The news generated a swift response from political and social organisations in Cuba. The Union of Young Communists, the Federation of University Students, and the José Martí Pioneer Organization, among others, called for a gathering this Friday at the grandstand to condemn the accusation and reaffirm the Cuban people’s will not to be broken.
The demonstration coincides with the upcoming 95th anniversary of Raúl Castro’s birth, adding symbolic significance to the day. Raul was born on June 3, 1931, in Eastern Cuba.
President Miguel Díaz-Canel expressed his rejection of the accusation in a post on the X network, stating that “the purported accusation against Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, just announced by the US government, only demonstrates the arrogance and frustration felt by the representatives of the empire in the face of the Cuban Revolution’s unwavering resolve and the unity and moral strength of its leadership.”
Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla described the action as a “farce” intended to distort the reality of the country and reiterated that Cuba will not renounce its legitimate right to self-defence. The accusation is part of a narrative promoted by the US administration, which seeks to intensify bilateral sanctions and deepen tensions in relations with Cuba.
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Meanwhile, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has condemned US pressure on Cuba and confirmed Moscow’s full solidarity with Havana.
“Cuba continues to be subjected to brutal economic pressure from the United States,” the spokeswoman denounced and reaffirmed Russia’s “full solidarity” with Cuba and “a strong condemnation of any attempt at blatant interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign nation, intimidation, illegal unilateral restrictive measures, threats, and blackmail.”
Maria Zakharova asserted that the restrictions imposed in early May of this year on companies that cooperate with Cuba constitute another primary objective of the United States: the economic strangulation of the Caribbean nation. The attempts to economically strangle Cuba demonstrate that the United States has zero tolerance for dissent, Zakharova stated.
“That the White House administration is trying to tighten the noose of sanctions against Cuba, after long years of a commercial, economic, financial, and humanitarian embargo, to which the energy blockade has recently been added, is a clear reflection of Washington’s intolerance toward any dissent,” the diplomat pointed out.
For his part, the Russian Federation’s ambassador to Havana, Victor Koronelli, noted that Cuba has ample experience in fighting armed aggression.
“Havana has repeatedly expressed its readiness to repel such aggression. Our Cuban friends have long-standing experience in this,” the diplomat commented.
US acting attorney-general Todd Blanche has confirmed the indictment against former 94-year-old Cuban leader Raúl Castro for conspiracy to murder US citizens in connection with the 1996 downing of two brothers on the Rescue planes.
In a separate statement, the US Department of Justice announced that Raúl Castro and five other officials face the maximum penalty of death or life imprisonment if convicted on the newly filed indictment. Cuban president Miguel Díaz-Canel reacted to the news on social media, stating that the indictment against his predecessor lacked legal basis and sought to justify a potential US military attack against his country.