U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT INDICTS FORMER CUBAN PRESIDENT RAUL CASTRO ON MURDER CHARGES OVER 1996 SHOOTDOWN OF TWO CIVILIAN AIRCRAFT

THE U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT UNSEALED AN INDICTMENT ON WEDNESDAY CHARGING FORMER CUBAN PRESIDENT RAUL CASTRO WITH MURDER, CONSPIRACY TO KILL U.S. NATIONALS, AND AIRCRAFT DESTRUCTION IN CONNECTION WITH THE FEBRUARY 24, 1996 SHOOTDOWN OF TWO UNARMED BROTHERS TO THE RESCUE CESSNA PLANES OVER INTERNATIONAL WATERS, KILLING FOUR MEN; PROSECUTORS ALLEGE THAT CASTRO, THEN SERVING AS DEFENSE MINISTER UNDER HIS BROTHER FIDEL, PERSONALLY AUTHORIZED THE USE OF DEADLY FORCE AGAINST THE HUMANITARIAN GROUP, WHOSE PLANES HAD BEEN REPEATEDLY WARNED TO CEASE OVERFLIGHTS OF CUBA; CUBAN PRESIDENT MIGUEL DIAZ-CANEL CONDEMNED THE CHARGES AS POLITICALLY MOTIVATED AND HAVING "NO LEGAL BASIS"; SECRETARY OF STATE MARCO RUBIO, WHOSE FAMILY FLED CUBA, URGED THE CUBAN PEOPLE IN A SPANISH-LANGUAGE VIDEO TO DEMAND FREE-MARKET LEADERSHIP; LEGAL EXPERTS NOTE THAT WHILE EXTRADITION REMAINS UNLIKELY GIVEN CASTRO'S RESIDENCE IN CUBA, THE INDICTMENT MIRRORS TACTICS USED AGAINST FORMER VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT NICOLAS MADURO AND COULD SERVE AS LEVERAGE IN FUTURE DIPLOMATIC NEGOTIATIONS.