Cuban ex-President Raúl Castro celebrates 95th | Political News

Raúl Castro, Cuba’s low-key former president and revolutionary fighter, made his first public look since being indicted by the United States for his alleged involvement in the 1996 capturing down of two civilian plane, according to an official video launched Saturday.

Castro’s 95th birthday celebration with senior officers and army commanders at Havana’s Ministry of Interior on Friday evening gave Cuba‘s socialist authorities a probability to unite and show defiance as the Trump administration intensifies its strain marketing campaign against the fuel-deprived island.

State tv aired footage of Castro, dressed in his olive-green army uniform, strolling into a crowded theater to a standing ovation, accompanied by his grandson and bodyguard, Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez, and Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel.

Díaz-Canel delivered a glowing tribute to the “heroism and dignity” demonstrated by Castro and his late brother, Fidel Castro, the central determine of the Cuban revolution. He recommended Raúl Castro, who served as Cuba‘s protection minister for practically 50 years, for his “courage and loyalty (that) made him a target from a very early age for the intelligence services of our enemies.”

In a more pointed response to Trump administration provocations, Díaz-Canel cautioned that “there will be a decisive and resolute battle” ought to the U.S. comply with through on its threats to invade the island. “Raúl is Raúl,” he declared, repeating the phrase that has dominated billboards throughout Havana and flooded social media since the May 20 U.S. indictment of Raúl Castro on homicide prices – seemingly designed to rally national solidarity against the federal government’s perceived isolation. “Raúl is Cuba, and Cuba is untouchable.”

Friday’s night celebration, occurring two days after Castro’s 95th birthday, represented an unusual public outing for the non-public yet highly effective Cuban military normal. Though he formally stepped down from politics in April 2021, Castro is assumed to retain important political affect.

The Justice Department’s indictment revealed Castro is charged with ordering the 1996 downing of civilian plane piloted by Miami-based exiles. This represents the most severe in a chain of provocations since the Trump administration successfully severed Cuba’s oil provide in January, worsening the island’s persistent challenges including energy outages and a public health emergency.

The Trump administration insists that Cuba’s socialist authorities free political detainees, undertake substantial financial restructuring and alter its governance strategy to stop changing into a national security concern. Cuba maintains it presents no hazard to the U.S.