Raúl Castro made a public appearance this Saturday alongside President Miguel Díaz-Canel to lead the event commemorating the 65th anniversary of the Personal Security Directorate, according to images broadcasted by Canal Caribe, marking his first verified appearance after a week of intense rumors regarding his possible death or serious health condition.
The reappearance comes days after Miami media reported unconfirmed information about an alleged hospitalization of the historical leader on life support.
The Diario de las Américas had reported that Castro was "critically ill, assisted by equipment to keep him alive, apparently affected by a stroke," while WPLG Local 10 quoted retired professor Andy Gómez from the University of Miami, who attributed the information to "reliable sources within Cuba."
The Cuban government did not issue any official comment before the event.
The event commemorated the 65th anniversary of the establishment of the agency responsible for protecting the top leaders of the regime, which was formed on September 6, 1961. During the ceremony, the Minister of Interior, Lázaro Alberto Álvarez Casas, read a letter signed by Raúl Castro addressed to the members of the body, who was seen sitting in the front row according to the images.
In that letter, Castro congratulated the fighters and paid tribute to the Cubans who died in Venezuela: "I want to pay tribute today to our 32 fallen comrades in Venezuela while fulfilling their duty, that the blood they shed should never be forgotten and that their example becomes the guiding light in the daily work of this leadership."
He also took the opportunity to attack Washington with the regime's typical rhetoric: "The revolution is going through difficult days under the hostility of the United States government, which remains determined to erase the example that Cuba represents for the world."
During the ceremony, Brigadier General Emir Mesa Corona, head of the Personal Security Directorate, presented Castro with a recognition for his status as the founding chief of the organization.
"It has been very moving for me to have this meeting. To express all the affection I feel for you as family, as a brother. And despite having kept me under control for more than half of my life, I thank you from the bottom of my heart," said the letter from Castro, read by Álvarez Casas, while Castro was seated in the front row.
The appearance this Saturday follows a pattern of sporadic reappearances interspersed with absences that fuel recurring speculation. On July 26, he missed the central event at Moncada for the first time in at least three decades, which sparked a new round of rumors. Weeks later, he reappeared at the Karl Marx Theater for the gala celebrating Fidel Castro’s centenary, wearing an olive green uniform and accompanied by his grandson.
At the age of 95, Castro is also facing a federal charge in the United States for the downing of Brothers to the Rescue aircraft on February 24, 1996, an accusation that was declassified in May of this year. Rumors about his health have been ongoing for years; in May, a false hoax circulated on social media announcing his alleged death, typically initiated by low credibility profiles and amplified without independent verification.
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