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The Cuban Revolutionary Government vehemently rejected on Wednesday “in the strongest terms” the federal charges brought by the United States Department of Justice against Raúl Castro for the downing of two aircraft from the organization Brothers to the Rescue in 1996.
In an official statement published in Granma, the organ of the Communist Party of Cuba, the regime described the accusation as a “despicable and infamous act of political provocation” and denied that Washington has the legitimacy or jurisdiction to act.
"It is a despicable and infamous act of political provocation, based on the dishonest manipulation of the incident that led to the downing over Cuban airspace, in February 1996, of two aircraft operated by the terrorist organization Hermanos al Rescate," the official text states.
The regime argues that the shooting down of the two Cessna 337 Skymaster aircraft on February 24, 1996 constituted "an act of legitimate defense, supported by the United Nations Charter, the 1944 Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation, and the principles of air sovereignty and proportionality."
The statement also claims that Cuba submitted more than 25 formal complaints to the State Department, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the International Civil Aviation Organization regarding violations of Cuban airspace committed by Brothers to the Rescue between 1994 and 1996.
The text accuses the U.S. government of ignoring those warnings and being "complicit" in actions it describes as terrorist against Cuba.
"It is quite cynical for the same government that has killed nearly 200 people and destroyed 57 vessels in international waters of the Caribbean and the Pacific to make this accusation," the statement adds.
The statement concludes with a call for unity around Castro: "The Cuban people reaffirm their unwavering decision to defend the Homeland and its Socialist Revolution and, with the utmost strength and determination, their unconditional and steadfast support for Army General Raúl Castro Ruz."
The charges, announced by acting Attorney General Todd Blanche at the Tower of Liberty in Miami, include conspiracy to assassinate U.S. citizens, destruction of aircraft, and four individual counts of homicide for the deaths of Armando Alejandre Jr., Carlos Costa, Mario Manuel de la Peña, and Pablo Morales, whose bodies were never recovered.
The indictment, voted by a federal grand jury on April 23, 2026 and declassified this Wednesday, also includes five Cuban military personnel: Lorenzo Alberto Pérez-Pérez, Emilio José Palacio Blanco, José Fidel Gual Barzaga, Raúl Simanca Cárdenas, and Luis Raúl González-Pardo Rodríguez.
The central evidence of the case is an audio recording from June 1996 in which Castro describes the order he issued, the authenticity of which has been verified by specialists and by Alcibíades Hidalgo, former personal secretary of the ex-president.
The practical scope of the accusation is limited: Castro is 94 years old, has never set foot on American soil, and there is no extradition treaty between the two countries.
Blanche summarized Washington's stance in a straightforward phrase: "If you kill Americans, we will hunt you down."
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