May 15, 2026, 08:08May 15, 2026, 08:08
According to media reports, the USA is taking steps to indict 94-year-old Cuban former President Raul Castro. The potential indictment will focus on Cuba’s fatal shooting down of planes belonging to a Cuban exile organization in 1996, CBS News reported, citing U.S. officials. The newspaper “USA Today” also linked a possible indictment to the 30-year-old case. She relies on two sources familiar with the matter.
Raul Castro is now 95 years old.Image: keystone
Such an indictment would typically require the approval of a grand jury. In the United States, such a group of jurors can decide whether to file charges in a case after the prosecution has presented evidence.
What happened 30 years ago
On February 24, 1996, the Cuban Air Force shot down two aircraft belonging to the Cuban exile organization “Hermanos al Rescate” (Brothers to the Rescue), which was then based in Miami, during a flight off the Cuban coast. According to Havana’s account, the Cessnas had invaded Cuban airspace. However, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) concluded that they were over international waters. Three of the fatalities were US citizens. The Cuban exile organization ceased its work in 2003.
Some politicians in the US are calling for Raul Castro to be prosecuted
Florida’s Republican Governor Ron DeSantis suggested on Platform X that he would welcome an indictment against Cuba’s former head of state Raúl Castro. He commented on the CBS News report with the words: “Give it gas, it’s been a long time coming!”
In recent months, several US media outlets have reported on a letter from several members of Congress to the US government in which they are said to have called for charges against Raúl Castro. Your accusation: He ordered the shooting down as the defense minister at the time.
What role Castro currently plays in Cuba
Raul Castro gave up the presidency in 2018 and the leadership of the Communist Party in 2021, and has not been active in day-to-day politics since then. As the younger brother of revolutionary leader Fidel Castro and one of the last representatives of the generation of revolutionaries, he still enjoys a high reputation in Cuba. He is considered an important advisor to President Miguel Díaz-Canel and, as a former defense minister, is well connected within the powerful military. Most recently, he appeared at the May Day rally in front of the US Embassy alongside his successor Díaz-Canel.
Trump administration increases pressure on Cuba
Relations between the two countries have been tense since the revolution in 1959, and things became even worse when Trump took office: In January 2025, he put the island state ruled by the Communist Party back on a US terror list. For months, his government has been increasing pressure to force economic and political change in Cuba in the interests of the USA. (dab/sda/dpa)