Raúl Castro appeared in public this Saturday alongside President Miguel Díaz-Canel to lead the event commemorating the 65th anniversary of the Personal Security Directorate, according to images shared by the official Canal Caribe, marking his first verified appearance after a week of intense rumors regarding his possible death or serious health condition.
The reappearance comes just days after Miami media reported unconfirmed information about an alleged hospitalization of the historical leader with life support.
Diario Las Américas had published that Castro was "seriously 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 statement regarding this before Castro's appearance at the event this Saturday.
The event commemorated the 65th anniversary of the establishment of the agency responsible for protecting the highest leaders of the regime, which was formed on September 6, 1961. During the ceremony, the Minister of the Interior, Lázaro Alberto Álvarez Casas, read a letter addressed to the members of the agency, signed by Raúl Castro, who was seen sitting in the front row according to the video.
In that letter, Castro congratulated the fighters and remembered the Cuban military personnel who passed away in Venezuela: "I want to pay tribute today to our 32 fallen comrades in Venezuela in the fulfillment of their duty, may the blood they shed never be forgotten and may their example become the guiding principle in the daily work of this leadership."
He also took the opportunity to criticize Washington using the regime's usual rhetoric: "The revolution is experiencing difficult days under the hostility of the United States government, which remains determined to erase the example that Cuba sets for the world."
During the ceremony, Brigadier General Emir Mesa Corona, head of the Personal Security Directorate, presented Castro with an award in recognition of his status as the founding chief of the organization.
"It has been very emotional for me to have this meeting. To express all the love I feel for you as family, as brothers. And despite the fact that you have kept me under control for more than half of my life, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart," emphasizes Castro's letter read by Álvarez Casas, while the army general was seated in the front row.
The appearance this Saturday follows a pattern of sporadic reappearances interspersed with absences that fuel recurring speculations. On July 26, he missed the central event for the anniversary of Moncada for the first time in at least three decades, which sparked a wave of rumors. Weeks later, he reappeared at the Karl Marx Theatre for the gala celebrating Fidel Castro's centenary, wearing olive green uniform and accompanied by his grandson, Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro.
At 95 years old, Castro faces a federal indictment in the United States for the shooting down of two planes from Brothers to the Rescue on February 24, 1996, a charge that was declassified in May of this year.
Rumors about his health or passing have been recurring for years. In May, a false montage circulated on social media announcing his supposed death, usually started by low-credibility profiles and amplified without independent verification.
Filed under: