Journalist who uncovered the recording of Raúl Castro about the downing of the plane of Brothers to the Rescue speaks

When the debate about bringing Raúl Castro to justice in the United States heats up again in Washington, the journalist who exposed the compromising recording of the former Minister of the Armed Forces nearly 20 years ago decided to intervene.

Wilfredo Cancio Isla stated that it was under his authorship that El Nuevo Herald published in August 2006 the tape in which Raúl Castro acknowledged giving the order against the Hermanos al Rescate aircraft that were shot down on February 24, 1996.

According to what was explained on Facebook, with photographs that verify the possession of the material, the recording was released by the Spanish edition, although it is often referred to solely as The Miami Herald as the source.

“Putting things in their place,” Cancio wrote, thanking journalist Claire Heddles for correctly mentioning the original publication. The reporter recalled that the film became a key piece in holding Castro politically accountable for the deaths of Armando Alejandre Jr., Carlos Costa, Mario de la Peña, and Pablo Morales, activists who participated in humanitarian missions to assist rafters.

The statement comes at a particularly sensitive time. Four Cuban-American congressmen have requested President Donald Trump to push for criminal charges against Raúl Castro and even consider a red alert from Interpol. In their letter, they cite public information and media references pointing to his responsibility within the chain of command that ordered the attack in international waters, as determined by the International Civil Aviation Organization.

Meanwhile, recent articles have once again mentioned the recording where Raúl can be heard saying that he indicated “to try to take them down,” while figures from Havana such as Gerardo Hernández mocks the legal viability of a criminal charge.

Cancio announced that in the coming days he will reveal more details about how the tape was obtained and published, and he even recalled that he still has the original floppy disks and photos from the meeting where the recording took place in 1996.

Thirty years after the downfall, the discussion revolves not only around the possible criminal responsibility of the general but also around memory and historical truth. Amid the new political pressure in Washington, the journalist who revealed that recording asserts his role in a story that remains an open wound for the Cuban exile community.