Related videos:
The Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz came out on Wednesday to defend Raúl Castro following the presentation of federal charges against him by the United States Department of Justice, describing the accusation as a farce created by Washington.
Through his account on X, Marrero published that "the supposed accusation against Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, which the U.S. government has attempted to fabricate, exposes their lack of arguments to sustain their attacks against Cuba and their inability, despite all the sanctions, to bend us."
The prime minister also released an official statement from the regime in which the so-called Revolutionary Government condemns "in the strongest possible terms the despicable accusation by the U.S. Department of Justice against Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, leader of the Cuban Revolution."
Marrero went further and defended the downing of the planes from Hermanos al Rescate as an act of legitimate defense, arguing that "the history is clear and there is ample evidence demonstrating that Cuba acted in legitimate defense after repeatedly alerting about the serious violations of our airspace."
The Prime Minister also labeled Hermanos al Rescate as a "narcoterrorist organization" and accused Washington of lying: "The Cuban people and the international community know that the U.S. lies and manipulates reality as it pleases, just as it is trying to do now concerning the events related to the downing of the aircraft."
Marrero's reaction is part of a coordinated response from the regime. Díaz-Canel described the accusation as a "political action, with no legal basis," while Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez labeled Marco Rubio as "a spokesperson for corrupt and vindictive interests."
The charges, announced by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche at the Freedom Tower in Miami, include conspiracy to murder U.S. citizens, destruction of aircraft, and four individual counts of murder for the deaths of Armando Alejandre Jr., Carlos Costa, Mario Manuel de la Peña, and Pablo Morales on February 24, 1996.
The International Civil Aviation Organization determined that the shootdown occurred between nine and ten nautical miles outside Cuban territorial airspace, meaning it took place in international airspace, which directly contradicts the argument of legitimate defense put forward by the regime.
The indictment was presented by a grand jury in Miami on April 23, 2026 and declassified this Wednesday, Cuba's Independence Day, a date that prosecutor Blanche deliberately chose for the announcement.
In addition to Castro, the indictment includes five Cuban military officers: Lorenzo Alberto Pérez Pérez, Emilio José Palacio Blanco, José Fidel Gual Bárzaga, Raúl Simanca Cárdenas, and Luis Raúl González-Pardo Rodríguez.
The accusation has a primarily symbolic reach: Raúl Castro, 94 years old, has never set foot on American soil, and there is no extradition treaty between the two countries. However, Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar captured the sentiment of the Cuban-American community with a phrase: “Today marks the beginning of the end for the Castro family”.
Blanche was emphatic in announcing the charges: "For nearly 30 years, the families of four murdered Americans have been waiting for justice. If you kill Americans, we will pursue you."
Filed under: