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Legal proceedings against Raúl Castro

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2026-10-20 19:01 UTC → 2026-10-22 22:33 UTC · added ~~removed~~

A Florida judge has issued a state arrest warrant for 95-year-old former Cuban leader Raúl Castro, charging him with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. The warrant, signed by Miami-Dade Circuit Chief Judge Ariana Fajardo Orshan, is linked to the February 24, 1996, shootdown of two unarmed civilian aircraft operated by the Miami-based humanitarian group ‘Brothers to the Rescue’. The incident resulted in the deaths of four individuals: Carlos Costa, Armando Alejandre Jr., Mario de la Peña, and Pablo Morales. Florida ~~authorities allege~~ Attorney General James Uthmeier has noted that investigators allege Cuban intelligence agents facilitated the attack by MiG fighter jets by infiltrating the organization to transmit flight information to Havana. While Cuba has historically claimed the aircraft violated its airspace, the International Civil Aviation Organization concluded the planes were in international waters during the incident. This state-level warrant follows a federal indictment filed against Castro and five other former Cuban military officials in May 2026. The Cuban government has condemned the warrant, with President Miguel Díaz-Canel describing it as a “pathetic Miami circus” and a political maneuver. International reactions have been sharply critical: China has criticized the use of judicial measures to pressure Cuba, and Russia has ~~also~~ issued a categorical ~~rejection, with its~~ rejection. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs ~~arguing~~ argued that legal assessments regarding the 1996 events were addressed by UN Security Council Resolution ~~1067. Moscow characterized~~ 1067, characterizing the accusation as an “unfounded attempt at revenge by the anti-Cuban lobby in Miami” and ~~warned~~ warning that rising tensions could destabilize the region.

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