Miguel Díaz-Canel appeared this Friday at the Anti-Imperialist Tribunal José Martí in Havana, wearing an olive green combat uniform, during a large political event organized by the Cuban regime in support of Raúl Castro following the criminal charges brought by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Díaz-Canel himself announced his presence from his account on the social network X with the message: "For Cuba and for Raúl, we are at the Anti-Imperialist Tribune. Raúl is Raúl."
The choice of combat uniform carries a deliberate symbolic weight. Olive green is the historic symbol of Cuban revolutionary power, associated with Fidel and Raúl Castro since 1959.
Díaz-Canel had previously turned to that uniform in earlier moments of crisis, such as during Hurricane Melissa in October 2025, and continued to wear it at subsequent official events.
The video published by the ruler shows soldiers in olive green uniforms and civilians gathered in front of the Havana Malecon, with a crowd in the background waving Cuban flags under a dawn sky.
The event was called after the U.S. Department of Justice announced criminal charges against Castro for the shooting down of two planes belonging to the organization Brothers to the Rescue on February 24, 1996, which resulted in the deaths of four Cuban Americans: Armando Alejandre Jr., Carlos Costa, Mario de la Peña, and Pablo Morales.
The charges include conspiracy to murder U.S. nationals, destruction of aircraft, and four counts of murder. If convicted, Castro could face life imprisonment or the death penalty.
The regime mobilized military personnel, police, and workers to the Anti-Imperialist Tribune for the event this Friday, in a measured response that included statements from the Council of State and the Cuban Parliament, which "strongly condemned" the accusation.
Díaz-Canel had already come to Castro's defense on the same day of the announcement, describing the accusation as a "political action, with no legal basis," and referring to the former leader as his "mentor."
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