The Cuban regime mobilized hundreds of people this Saturday in the Plaza de la Libertad in Camagüey to celebrate an anti-imperialist rally in support of the former dictator Raúl Castro, as part of a series of official events taking place across the country.
According to Radio Camagüey's report on their social media, the event brought together young people, doctors, children, workers, and intellectuals, mostly dressed in red, holding signs that read "Raúl is Raúl" and the number 95, referencing the upcoming birthday of the former dictator on June 3.
The Camagüeyan tribune is part of a series of mobilizations called by the regime from May 22 to June 3, 2026, in direct response to the unclassified criminal accusation made on May 20 by the Acting Attorney General of the United States, Todd Blanche, at the Freedom Tower in Miami.
That accusation, approved by a federal grand jury in the Southern District of Florida on April 23, charges Castro — along with five Cuban military personnel — with conspiracy to murder American citizens and four counts of homicide for the downing of two planes from Brothers to the Rescue on February 24, 1996, which resulted in the deaths of Armando Alejandre Jr., Carlos Costa, Mario de la Peña, and Pablo Morales.
Camagüey now joins Artemisa and Pinar del Río, which held their own tribunes on Friday with the same propaganda script and mobilization of state workers, military personnel, and public transport.
In Pinar del Río, a health official admitted during a public event that 1,630 patients —including 71 children and 365 cancer patients— have not been able to undergo surgery due to a lack of resources, a fact that starkly contrasts with the festive display of the regime.
The contrast between the propaganda machinery and the daily reality of Cubans is hard to ignore: the electricity deficit exceeded 2,000 MW by mid-May, with outages lasting up to 25 hours a day, and ECLAC projects a GDP contraction of -6.5% by 2026.
The regime mobilized public transportation and state workers to ensure attendance at the events, a common practice that undermines any perception of spontaneous support.
If convicted, Castro would face the death penalty or life imprisonment, although the case has mainly symbolic significance since there is no extradition treaty between Cuba and the United States.
The tribune campaign concludes on June 3, the day Raúl Castro turns 95, turning what the regime presents as an anti-imperialist protest into a nationwide birthday celebration funded by the resources of a bankrupt state.
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