The official newspaper Juventud Rebelde published a video on Facebook this Wednesday in which Gerardo Hernández Nordelo, presented by the Cuban regime as one of the "Five Heroes," defended the official version regarding the downing of the aircraft belonging to Brothers to the Rescue that took place on February 24, 1996.
The post unleashed a flood of critical comments from internet users who countered its arguments with irony and concrete data.
The video, lasting just over three minutes, was released on the same day that the U.S. Department of Justice filed criminal charges against Raúl Castro and five Cuban military officials for the downing, as part of a propaganda campaign that also involved Díaz-Canel, Manuel Marrero, and Bruno Rodríguez.
In the video, Hernández argues that Brothers to the Rescue was not merely a humanitarian organization but was concealing terrorist plans.
"In Miami, they are busy distorting history and telling it in the way that suits them," he stated.
One of his central arguments was the figure of Juan Pablo Roque, whom he described as an FBI agent infiltrated in the organization.
"Why, if Brothers to the Rescue is just a humanitarian organization, does the FBI infiltrate someone to gather information?" asked Hernández, suggesting that this infiltration demonstrated the group's terrorist intentions.
Hernández also cited statements from José Basulto himself during the trial, in which he acknowledged having prepared low-cost weapons with the intention of introducing them into Cuba.
According to Hernández, his defense attorney dismantled Basulto's explanation with sarcasm: "And were you also going to throw the kitchen in so they could cook the fish, or wouldn't it have been better to just throw them the food?"
However, internet users quickly pointed out factual errors in his speech. Hernández asserted that by 1996 there were no more rafters because the "wet foot, dry foot" policy existed, but a commenter reminded him that that policy was not eliminated until January 12, 2017 by Barack Obama, which means that rafters continued to arrive on the shores of Florida for years.
Another internet user pointed out that the International Civil Aviation Organization investigated the downing and concluded that it was illegal under international law, adding that the planes were civilian and unarmed.
Most of the comments expressed open rejection of Hernández and the regime that presents him as a hero.
"The revolution of lies and fraud that has destroyed a nation and left its people hungry and in need is a failed state," wrote a user.
Others were more direct: "The party is coming to an end," "Justice arrives, albeit late," and "You will soon return to where they should never have let you leave."
Hernández was sentenced in the United States to two life terms plus 15 months for conspiracy to commit murder related to the downing, and was released in December 2014 as part of the normalization agreement between Obama and Raúl Castro.
The four victims of the crash were Armando Alejandre Jr., Carlos Costa, Mario de la Peña, and Pablo Morales.
The Cuban regime described the criminal accusation as "scoundrel," "farce," and "illegitimate and illegal", while Cuban ex-spies came out to defend the crash in state media. The response from internet users, however, captured the sentiment of many in three words: "Now they are clucking."
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