The announcement is expected on May 20, the date that marks Cuba’s independence but the socialist government believes true freedom began with the 1959 revolution.
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Justice is preparing Prosecution of Raul CastroFormer Cuban president, criminal charges stemming from nearly three decades ago. Indictments could reportedly be filed as early as Wednesday Reported by many media.
The Department of Justice will make an announcement and hold a ceremony to honor the victims of the 1996 Rescue Brothers murders in Miami, Florida, at 1 p.m. ET. The announcement was made on May 20, the day that marked Cuba’s independence, but the socialist government refused to accept the news, saying true freedom began with the 1959 revolution.
Expected charges include murder and destruction of a plane, a person familiar with the matter said. They requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case publicly ahead of the announcement.
Any criminal charges against Castro would require approval by a grand jury, which would significantly heighten tensions with Havana and raise expectations for U.S. military action in Cuba, like the one it took in Venezuela in January to bring President Nicolas Maduro to New York on drug trafficking charges.
There is no indication that Castro will be detained by the United States anytime soon.
What were the 1996 “Save the Brotherhood” murders?
In 1996, Cuba shot down two Cessna planes operated by the Miami-based exile group Brothers to the Rescue, killing four Cuban-Americans. Castro was defense minister at the time.
Shortly after the shootdown, Congress passed what became known as the Helms-Burton ActThe bill codifies the U.S. trade embargo imposed in 1962, complicating successive U.S. presidents’ engagement with Cuba.
The shootdown was a watershed moment in decades of hostilities between the United States and Cuba. The United States has so far only convicted one person of conspiracy to commit murder in connection with the shooting down of the rescue brother. Gerardo Hernández, the leader of a Cuban spy ring dismantled by the FBI in the 1990s, was sentenced to life in prison but was released by President Barack Obama in a prisoner exchange in 2014 as part of efforts to normalize relations with Cuba.
Two fighter pilots and their commander were also indicted but were outside the jurisdiction of U.S. law enforcement while residing in Cuba.
Raul Castro, brother of the late Fidel Castro, took over as president from his ailing brother in 2006 before handing power to handpicked loyalist Miguel Díaz-Canel in 2018.
Although he has largely avoided the spotlight since retiring as leader of Cuba’s Communist Party in 2021, he is widely seen as wielding power behind the scenes, a fact underlined by the status of his grandson Raul Guillermo Rodriguez Castro, who has previously met secretly with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Secretary Rubio’s message to the Cuban people
Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged the Cuban people to reject the current socialist government and demand a free-market economy, with new leadership charting a new course in relations with the United States.
Rubio said in a video message released on Wednesday that there is no reason why the Cuban people cannot enjoy the same freedoms as other countries in the Caribbean.
“It’s not impossible,” he said in a Spanish-language post on Tuesday that was recorded ahead of the Justice Department’s expected indictment of former Cuban President Raul Castro.
“If it is possible to own your own business and have the right to vote in Cuba, why is it not possible in Cuba?” Rubio asked.
“Here in America, we are ready for a new chapter in the relationship between our people and our country,” he said. “Right now, the only thing standing in the way of a better future are those who control your country.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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