Cuban FM denounces US indictment of Raul Castro as ‘farce’

Cuba on Wednesday strongly condemned the US indictment of former Cuban leader Raul Castro, calling the move politically motivated and part of an effort to justify increased aggression against the island nation.

Cuban foreign minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla said the charges announced by the US Department of Justice were “illegitimate and illegal” and based on “lies” surrounding the 1996 downing of two aircraft operated by the Miami-based exile group “Brothers to the Rescue.”

In a post on X, Rodriguez accused Washington of promoting a “fraudulent narrative” while ignoring documented historical facts. Havana maintains that the aircraft were shot down inside Cuban airspace and that the action was taken in legitimate self-defence.

“Cuba will not renounce its inalienable right to legitimate defence,” Rodriguez said, reaffirming support for Castro and Cuba’s commitment to defending “the homeland, the revolution and socialism.”

The foreign minister also accused the United States of supporting violent actions against Cuba and denounced what he described as extrajudicial killings carried out by US forces in international waters against alleged drug traffickers.

The remarks came shortly after the US Justice Department unsealed a superseding indictment against Raul Castro and five others over the 1996 incident in which two civilian aircraft were shot down, killing four people.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel also rejected the indictment, calling it a “political manoeuver” designed to fabricate grounds for military aggression against Cuba.

“The charges only reveal the arrogance and frustration of the empire’s representatives in the face of the unwavering resolve of the Cuban Revolution,” Diaz-Canel said on X.

He accused Washington of “lying and manipulating” the events surrounding the aircraft incident and insisted Cuba had acted lawfully after repeated violations of its airspace by the exile group.

According to Diaz-Canel, Cuba had issued more than a dozen warnings to US authorities before the aircraft were brought down on February 24, 1996.

“Documentary evidence demonstrates that Cuba did not act recklessly or violate international law,” he said.

Praising Castro as a revolutionary leader respected across Latin America and beyond, Diaz-Canel said attempts to tarnish his image would fail.

“His values are his best defence and a moral shield against the ridiculous attempt to diminish his stature as a hero,” the Cuban president added.

With IANS inputs