Reuters
source: reuters
The United States announced murder charges against former Cuban President Raúl Castro on Wednesday, a major escalation in Washington’s pressure campaign against the island’s communist government.
The indictment marks a new low in relations between the longtime Cold War rivals and comes as U.S. President Donald Trump is pushing for regime change in Cuba, where Castro’s communists have been in charge since his late brother Fidel Castro led a revolution in 1959.
The charges against Castro and five fighter pilots in the Cuban military stem from a 1996 incident in which Cuban jets shot down planes operated by a group of Cuban exiles.
Raúl Castro, 94, was charged with one count of conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals, four counts of murder, and two counts of destruction of aircraft. He appeared in public in Cuba earlier this month and there is no evidence he has left the island or that he will be extradited.
It is rare for the U.S. to file criminal charges against foreign leaders. The indictment was the latest example of the Trump administration’s aggressive efforts to expand U.S. influence in the Western Hemisphere.
“It is a political maneuver, devoid of any legal foundation,” Diaz-Canel said.
Diaz-Canel said on Monday that the island does not represent a threat.
The charges come months after the U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on January 3 to face drug trafficking charges in New York.
Maduro, a socialist aligned with Havana, pleaded not guilty.
