Cuba holds July 26 revolutionary rally without Raúl Castro
Cuba staged its traditional July 26 rally in Pinar del Río to mark the 73rd anniversary of the 1953 Moncada assault. Former President Raúl Castro, 95, did not attend – the first absence in at least three decades – and no reason was offered. President Miguel Díaz‑Canel presided, reading a congratulatory message from Castro to the crowd. While Castro no longer holds formal office, he is still cited as a symbolic figure and a negotiator in U.S. talks following the U.S. energy embargo. Díaz‑Canel used the event to denounce a U.S. State Department report accusing Cuba of a long‑standing espionage network, calling the United States’ sanctions a “coldly calculated genocide” and “maximum pressure.” He also rejected a U.S. indictment charging Castro with murder and other crimes stemming from the 1996 downing of two civilian aircraft, stating the accusations were widely rejected by the Cuban government.
Entities: Cuba · Miguel Díaz‑Canel · Moncada assault · Raúl Castro · United States
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 3 SOURCES] President Miguel Díaz‑Canel read a congratulatory message from Raúl Castro to the crowd at the rally. (AP reports)
- [● 3 SOURCES] A U.S. indictment charged Raúl Castro with murder and other crimes related to the 1996 downing of two civilian aircraft. (U.S. indictment and Cuban government response)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Díaz‑Canel called U.S. sanctions a “coldly calculated genocide” and “maximum pressure.” (Speech cited in AP articles)
- [● 7 SOURCES] Former President Raúl Castro, 95, did not attend the July 26 rally in Pinar del Río. (AP and related reports)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Díaz‑Canel denounced a U.S. State Department report accusing Cuba of a long‑standing espionage network. (AP and other news agencies)