Cuban-American Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart announced on América Radio that he will formally request the U.S. Department of Justice to charge Raúl Castro with murder in connection with the shooting down of the Brothers to the Rescue planes that occurred on February 24, 1996.
Díaz-Balart explained to América Radio that the request will be submitted alongside two other colleagues and that the document is being drafted by his team, as revealed by journalist Mario J. Pentón on his social media.
Journalist Miguel Cossio confirmed on his X profile that the legislators supporting the initiative are Congress members Carlos Giménez and María Elvira Salazar, who will also formally request the prosecution of Raúl Castro in the case of Brothers to the Rescue.
"We will officially be asking that Raúl Castro be prosecuted for the murder of these four individuals, three Americans, people from the United States, in cold blood," he stated.
The lawmaker stated that there is evidence that Raúl Castro personally ordered the downing of the aircraft.
"Raúl Castro himself has stated that he gave the order and we have evidence of that. He said it publicly," he assured.
Díaz-Balart emphasized that the charge of murder does not expire and noted that the request will be presented in a "very serious" and "very responsible" manner, dismissing the notion that it is a media stunt.
"This is not to create a press park. We are doing this in a very serious manner," he insisted.
In the same context, the congressman warned that the regime in Havana is facing a decisive stage under the current U.S. administration.
"This tyranny will not survive this president," he stated, assuring that pressure against the regime will increase in the coming weeks.
The announcement of the indictment, he said, will be made public once the request has been officially submitted to the Department of Justice.
Previously, Díaz-Balart had stated in Miami that it should not be ruled out that former Cuban leader Raúl Castro could face a formal criminal charge in the United States, related to the downing of two aircraft from the organization Brothers to the Rescue that occurred on February 24, 1996, an incident that Washington classified as having taken place in international airspace and resulted in four deaths.
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