A political move: the United States indicts former Cuban president Raul Castro

Former Cuban President and enemy of Washington is accused, along with others, of conspiring to assassinate Americans in a case dating back to 1996. In response to this indictment, Cuban head of state Miguel Diaz-Canel denounced it as a “political maneuver.”

The American justice system indicted former Cuban President Raul Castro on Wednesday, May 20, for the murder of Americans in 1996, a dramatic development seen as an additional pressure tactic on the communist rule in Cuba to choose “a new path.”

Raul Castro, brother of the late Fidel Castro and Washington’s primary antagonist, is accused, along with others, of conspiring to assassinate Americans in a case from 1996. This incident involved two civilian aircrafts piloted by opponents of the Cuban leader being shot down, resulting in four deaths, according to the indictment.

These opponents were part of an anti-Castro group called “Brothers to the Rescue.” At the time, Raul Castro was the Minister of Defense. At 94 years old, he remains the embodiment of communist power in Cuba.

A “Very Big Day” for Donald Trump

“There will not be an escalation. I don’t think it’s necessary. This place is falling apart,” said U.S. President Donald Trump to the press, describing the indictment as a “very big day.”

Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche stated that they expect Raul Castro to spend the rest of his days in prison in the United States.

However, Blanche refused to draw a comparison with the case of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was captured by U.S. forces in January and is detained in the U.S. pending trial. Havana’s response was swift.

“This is a political maneuver, with no legal basis, designed to build a case justifying the senseless project of a military aggression against Cuba,” declared Cuban head of state Miguel Diaz-Canel.

In January, President Trump relied on a U.S. indictment to justify a military intervention that resulted in the overthrow and removal of longtime Cuban ally, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

“President Trump Proposes a New Path”

In a Spanish video message addressed to the Cuban population on Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused communist leaders of theft, corruption, and repression.

“President Trump proposes a new path between the United States and a new Cuba […] where you truly have the ability to choose who governs your country and to vote to replace them if they don’t do a good job,” Rubio stated, in a message resembling a call to insurrection.

The Republic of Cuba Proclaimed… on May 20

These developments occur amidst strong tensions between Washington and Havana, as well as an economic and energy crisis in the Caribbean island nation, suffering from prolonged power outages due to the U.S. oil blockade.

After capturing Nicolas Maduro, the Trump administration openly expresses its desire for change in Havana and exerts maximum pressure on Cuba, located approximately 145 kilometers off the coast of Florida.

The announcement comes on May 20, historically the day the Republic of Cuba was proclaimed in 1902, following independence from Spain and the end of the U.S. military occupation.

The communist government emphasizes other dates like the castrist revolution on January 1, 1959.

President Cuban President tweeted Wednesday morning, “Intervention, interference, spoliation, frustration. That’s what May 20 means in #Cuba’s history.”

In addition to the U.S. embargo in place since 1962, Washington has enforced a total oil blockade on the island since January, allowing only one Russian oil tanker to arrive.

Raul Castro, who succeeded his brother Fidel as Cuba’s president, initiated a historic reconciliation in 2015 with the U.S. under President Barack Obama, a move that was later reversed by Donald Trump.

“All Cubans have been waiting for this for 60 years,” said 67-year-old Cuban exile Francys Fabelo in Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood. “The people have suffered a lot,” he added.