The United States has indicted former Cuban president Raúl Castro over his alleged involvement in a 1996 incident in which two civilian aircraft were shot down, killing four people. The case has reopened one of the most sensitive chapters in US-Cuba relations.
According to US prosecutors, the charges include murder and conspiracy to kill US nationals, along with destruction of aircraft. The indictment relates to the February 24, 1996 shooting down of two small planes operated by the Miami-based group “Brothers to the Rescue.”
The organisation, made up of Cuban exiles, carried out search-and-rescue flights for migrants attempting to leave Cuba. It was also politically active, often opposing the Cuban government and carrying out symbolic protest flights over the island.
US authorities say the aircraft were in international airspace when Cuban Air Force jets fired on them, killing all four people on board. Cuba, however, has long maintained that the planes violated its airspace and were involved in hostile activity.
Raúl Castro, who was Cuba’s defence minister at the time, is accused by US officials of playing a central role in the military decision-making that led to the shootdown. Several other Cuban military figures have also been named in connection with the case.
The indictment comes nearly 30 years after the incident and is largely symbolic, as Raúl Castro is unlikely to face extradition or trial in the United States. He is currently 94 years old and no longer holds political office.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel strongly criticised the move, calling it politically driven and an attempt to revive old disputes. He defended Cuba’s actions at the time as necessary for national security.
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