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The Republican senator from Florida Ashley Moody posted a message on her X account this Wednesday to commemorate the 124th anniversary of Cuba's independence, stating that "the struggle for Cuba's freedom has not ended" and announcing her participation in an event by the Department of Justice in Miami.
"On May 20, 1902, Cuba became a free and independent state. The Castros snatched it away," wrote Moody, who emphasized that "it is essential to continue pressing the Cuban communist regime and hold the members of this tyrannical government accountable."
At that moment, the senator also announced that she would join the Department of Justice at the event held at the Freedom Tower in Miami, the iconic building that served as a reception center for Cuban refugees since 1962 and is a historic symbol of the diaspora.
The event was related to the federal criminal charge against Raúl Castro, 94 years old, for his role in the shooting down of two planes from the organization Brothers to the Rescue on February 24, 1996.
In that attack, MiG-29 fighters from the Cuban Air Force shot down the aircraft over international waters in the Florida Straits, resulting in the deaths of four people: Armando Alejandre Jr. (45 years old), Carlos Costa (29), Mario de la Peña (24), and Pablo Morales (29).
Raúl Castro was the head of the Revolutionary Armed Forces at the time of the downing, placing him at the center of a potential federal indictment that the Department of Justice was preparing for this May 20.
Moody was appointed senator from Florida in early 2025 by Governor Ron DeSantis to fill the seat left vacant by Marco Rubio when he became Secretary of State.
Since her arrival in the Senate, she has maintained a hardline stance on Cuba: in February 2025, she co-sponsored the DEMOCRACIA Act alongside Rick Scott, which aims to block assets and deny entry to Cuban officials, and in July 2025, she supported the Trump administration's sanctions against the regime, labeling the Cuban government as a "murderous communist dictatorship."
The case of Brothers to the Rescue has remained without full judicial resolution for three decades: the International Civil Aviation Organization concluded that Cuba used force against civilian aircraft outside its airspace, and the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1067 on July 26, 1996, condemning the attack.
The only convicted individual in the U.S. was the Cuban spy Gerardo Hernández, who was released in the prisoner exchange of December 2014.
The accusation against Raúl Castro would have mainly symbolic value, given that there is no extradition treaty between Cuba and the U.S. and Castro has never set foot on American soil. However, it would represent a historical milestone for the victims' families and the Cuban community in exile.
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