JUST IN: Tension grows: the president of Cuba defends Raúl Castro and calls the US accusation “infamy.”
Latest Developments:
International observers are closely monitoring the latest developments as new information continues to emerge.
The president of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, warned this Thursday that his country will respond to the “infamy” of the accusation against his predecessor, Raúl Castro, in the United States: “The heroes of the Homeland are not disrespected. History and traditions are not offended without a response. Not in Cuba,” he added. “The general of the Army is Cuba and Cuba is respected. See you tomorrow at the Anti-imperialist Tribune,” Díaz-Canel said on social networks, referring to the Havana location of the event called this Friday to repudiate the decision of the US Department of Justice. To display this content from X (Twitter), you must authorize audience measurement and advertising cookies. Accept Manage my options As a show of political muscle, the Union of Young Communists (UJC) and other pro-government organizations called for an event to support the former president, one of the most powerful figures on the island, after the accusation of murder, among other charges, for the downing of two planes and the death of its four crew members in 1996. At the moment it has not been announced who will participate in the event, but it is likely that important figures will attend. of the Cuban Government and the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC, the only legal one). It is possible that even Raúl Castro himself, 94 years old, will attend. “Our people have fiercely jumped over the daily difficulties and shortcomings, caused in the first place by the genocidal blockade, to respond to the most recent infamy of the historical enemies of the Cuban nation: the attempt to prosecute the leader of the Revolution in a US court,” the president wrote. In his opinion, this “new aggression” has “unified more” the Cuban people, in addition to raising their “honor,” “dignity” and “anti-imperialist sentiment.” To display this YouTube content, you must allow advertising and audience measurement cookies. Accept Manage my options An extension in your browser appears to be blocking the video player from loading. In order to view this content, you must disable it on this site. Try again © France 24 The US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, offered statements about Cuba this Thursday in which he described the former Cuban president as a “fugitive” from US Justice and pointed out that there could be plans to take him before the courts of his country. The US Department of Justice announced this Wednesday the indictment of Castro for the controversial shooting down by the Cuban Army of two small planes belonging to an opposition organization and the death of their four crew members in 1996. At the center of the investigation is a recording from June of that year with Cuban journalists in which Castro would have confessed that he ordered the two small planes to be shot down. To display this YouTube content, you must allow advertising and audience measurement cookies. Accept Manage my options An extension in your browser appears to be blocking the video player from loading. In order to view this content, you must disable it on this site. Try again © France 24 His case has raised speculation about whether Donald Trump’s Administration is preparing to capture Castro as it did in January in Venezuela with Nicolás Maduro, who is facing trial for drug trafficking in the United States. The accusation against Castro represents another step in the pressure that the United States exerts on the island, after having imposed an energy blockade, escalating economic sanctions and after Trump’s threats to “take control” of the Caribbean country “almost immediately.” With EFE
Why This Matters:
Officials and international observers are expected to continue monitoring the story closely over the coming days.
Global audiences continue following the story closely as regional responses begin to emerge.
More details may emerge as official sources continue releasing new information.
Source: This article was originally published by France 24 – Noticias y actualidad internacional en vivo and adapted for our international English-speaking audience.
Read the original article here.