Just hours after the Department of Justice indicted former Cuban President Raúl Castro on criminal charges in Washington, D.C., Florida lawmakers gathered to celebrate the indictment as a victory for justice and accountability.
President Castro, who served as the defense minister at the time, is accused of ordering the Cuban air force to shoot down two civilian planes in 1966, resulting in the death of four Americans. The planes were led by a Miami-based Cuban exile group, Brothers to the Rescue, an organization that helped Cuban refugees flee to Florida.
The Department of Justice indicted President Castro on four counts of murder, two counts of aircraft destruction, and one count of conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals.
Representative Byron Donalds (R-FL) said it was “long overdue” that Castro be held accountable.
“The crimes are countless to the Cuban people and Cuban Americans, and for the death they have brought against Americans,” Rep. Donalds said in an interview with The Floridian.
Rep. Donalds stressed the context of Castro’s crimes, which involved shooting down Cuban Americans trying to escape the tyranny of the Cuban regime.
“People were swimming across the Florida Strait, and the Brothers to the Rescue were going out of their own to help people get to our shores, to escape tyranny,” he said. “And they gave the order, Raúl Castro, to shoot them down, to shoot them out of the sky.”
This indictment also comes amid growing tensions between the U.S. and Cuba, as current Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel warned on Tuesday that any U.S. military action against Cuba could spark a “bloodbath.”
“He’s not paying attention to reality,” Rep. Donalds said. “The President is not going to be hauled by foreign dictators.”
Today’s indictment positions the U.S. well against this warning, Rep. Donald said.
“This is a great day for the Cuban people, a great day for the people of Florida, a great day for the people of our country,” Rep. Donalds said. “We want to see justice done, and justice will be done, and if they don't believe us, go ask the former head of Venezuela.”
Written by Payton Anderson
