The assault on the Ecuadorian embassy in Havana in 1981, one of the most controversial repressive operations of the Cuban regime, could become the basis for a new criminal case against Raúl Castro in the United States, according to an exclusive report from NTN24.
The Cuban lawyer Domingo Delgado submitted a request on June 6 to the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Jason Reding Quiñones, for a federal investigation into the incursion of Cuban special troops at the Ecuadorian diplomatic headquarters on February 21, 1981, an action that violated the embassy's immunity and resulted in the capture of 14 political refugees.
"We have requested a review in federal court against Raúl Castro, Ramiro Valdés, and Patricio de la Guardia," explained Delgado, who asserts that the then Minister of the Armed Forces, Raúl Castro; the Minister of the Interior, Ramiro Valdés Menéndez; and General Patricio de la Guardia were responsible for ordering and executing the operation.
The death of a teenager
Among the most dramatic consequences of the assault is the death of Juan Owen Delgado Temprana, a 15-year-old teenager who passed away on March 3, 1981, at Villa Marista, the headquarters of State Security, following the beatings he endured after being detained.
A relative who managed to see him before his death recalled the state he was in.
"He had a detached ear. His eyes were bruised. He couldn't fend for himself. Two days later, they arrested me, and I never saw them again. Over time, I learned about my nephew's death."
One of the survivors of the operation, Rolando Félix Camejo, also recounted the violence with which the special forces operated.
"They broke in, smashed the door, and then they would hit you with the butt of the gun, grab you, and throw you down the stairs, because it was a first floor, they would throw you down the stairs."
Camejo was 25 years old when he was sentenced to 43 years in prison. He regained his freedom eight years later on the condition of leaving Cuba and claims he is willing to testify before the U.S. justice system.
"And if I have to go testify, I will. Without fear, I've never been afraid. I will testify against them. They have to pay for all of that."
The 14 captured refugees were initially sentenced to death, although the sentences were later commuted to long prison terms following international pressure.
A new judicial offensive
Delgado knows the case from the inside. He was sentenced to eight years in prison for attempting to defend the refugees and was released seven and a half years later, also under the condition of exiling himself.
From Miami, it is now driving the investigation and has sought the support of Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar for the Prosecutor's Office to proceed with the case.
"It depends a lot on them for the prosecutor to listen to us," he affirmed.
The lawyer claims that there are sufficient grounds to file charges for torture, human rights violations, and the murder of a minor.
"They murdered a child. Torture, violations of human rights. It's all there. And there is criminal law in the United States that punishes that, with precedent," he stated.
A second lawsuit against Raúl Castro
The request comes at a time of increasing judicial pressure against the former Cuban leader.
On May 20, the U.S. Department of Justice filed seven criminal charges against Raúl Castro for the downing in 1996 of the planes from Brothers to the Rescue, an investigation also led by prosecutor Jason Reding Quiñones.
If the new request is approved, the assault on the Ecuadorian embassy could become the second criminal case opened against Castro in U.S. territory.
The case also takes on an additional diplomatic dimension. In March 2026, Ecuador severed relations with Cuba after expelling 22 Cuban officials accused of interfering in internal affairs, rekindling interest in one of the most controversial episodes in the history of relations between the two countries.
The petition is currently in the hands of the Southern District of Florida Prosecutor's Office, which must decide whether to open a formal investigation to expand the legal front against the former Cuban leader.
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