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Almost 30 years after the downing of the Brothers to the Rescue planes, a question that has shaped the relationship between Cuba and the United States for decades is being raised again: why must Raúl Castro be held accountable for the murder of the pilots?
In a column published in the Miami Herald, Frank Calzon, former executive director of the Center for a Free Cuba, and John Suárez, the current executive director of that organization, argue that "President Trump should hold Cuba accountable for the downing of the Brothers to the Rescue plane."
They remember that "30 years ago — on February 24, 1996 — four human rights activists traveling aboard two Cessna planes in search of rafters in the Florida Strait were shot down by Cuban warplanes."
The victims were Mario de la Peña (24), Carlos Costa (30), Armando Alejandro Jr. (45), American citizens, and Pablo Morales (30), a permanent resident of the United States. All lived in Miami-Dade and were members of the Cuban exile humanitarian organization.
His two planes, which "were flying over what was believed to be international waters," were destroyed by Cuban missiles, and "their bodies were never recovered," the article emphasizes.
Calzon and Suárez are emphatic in pointing out responsibilities: "Fidel and Raúl Castro were responsible for the crime."
At that time, Raúl Castro was the Minister of the Armed Forces. As recalled, in a recording from June 21, 1996, he acknowledged that he gave the order: “I said to try to take them down.” For the authors, “it was a premeditated act of state terrorism.”
The text also reminds us that Madeleine Albright, then Secretary of State, presented “irrefutable evidence of Cuba's responsibility in this terrorist act” to the international community, and that the White House promised that justice would be served.
However, although the Miami Herald reported several formal accusations, the trial never took place due to the discretion of the prosecution.
In 2003, the federal prosecution accused General Rubén Martínez Puente, head of the Cuban Air Force, as well as pilots Lorenzo Alberto Pérez Pérez and Francisco Pérez Pérez. However, none were brought to justice. Martínez Puente passed away in 2021.
The article also recalls that in the year 2000, Cuban intelligence chief Gerardo Hernández was sentenced to two life terms for espionage and conspiracy to commit murder due to the information he provided to Havana, which contributed to the downing.
His sentence was commuted in 2014 during the thaw between the Obama administration and Raúl Castro. Currently, Hernández oversees surveillance activities in Cuba.
Calzon and Suárez emphasize that “no international law grants sovereign immunity to parliamentarians” and that “the statute of limitations does not apply to terrorist acts.” Therefore, they argue that “Raúl Castro, like his subordinates who carried out his orders and were accused of this crime, should be prosecuted.”
"The fact that no responsibilities are being demanded from Cuban leaders encourages Cuba to commit other horrific acts of state terrorism against Americans," the text emphasizes.
The discussion occurs at a time when four Cuban-American congress members—Mario Díaz-Balart, María Elvira Salazar, Carlos A. Giménez, and Nicole Malliotakis— requested President Donald Trump to pursue criminal charges against Raúl Castro for his alleged responsibility in the attack.
In a letter dated February 13, 2026, they requested that the Department of Justice consider formally charging him for the downing of the two civilian aircraft in international waters and evaluate the issuance of an Interpol red notice.
The exact location of the downing is crucial. The International Civil Aviation Organization concluded that the downings occurred outside Cuban airspace, which has been used to argue that the United States could assert jurisdiction because it involves a crime against American citizens in international airspace.
From Cuba, leader Gerardo Hernández Nordelo questioned on social media the legal viability of a criminal accusation against Raúl Castro, joking about the argument that the downing occurred in international waters.
Beyond the legal obstacles—such as immunity and the lack of real possibilities for extradition—the proponents of the initiative argue that the value of the process would be political and moral: to formally establish that it was an assassination of American citizens and that those responsible must face consequences.
The article from the Miami Herald quotes then-Senator Marco Rubio, who in February 2016 stated: "One of the most chilling things I've ever heard in my life is the audio recording of the regime's pilots asking for orders to kill these men and then celebrating their downing. The murder of these Americans was a serious violation of U.S. law for which justice has not been served."
For Calzon and Suárez, under a "America First" policy, holding "Raúl Castro and his cohorts, responsible for the murder of Americans, accountable sends a strong message to America's enemies and will protect American lives."
Thirty years later, the case remains an open wound. The question that is once again at the center of the political debate in Washington is whether this historical debt can finally lead to a legal process against those who, according to the authors, gave the order to "take them down."
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