Falana Faults U.S. Over Indictment Of Ex-Cuban President Raúl Castro For 1996 Plane Shootdown

Why Raul Castro Cannot Stand Trial for Murder America Claimed Was Committed by Fidel Castro

The US unsealed a May 2026 indictment charging 95-year-old former Cuban President Raúl Castro with murder and conspiracy over the 1996 shoot-down of two civilian planes — an incident for which Fidel Castro had already publicly claimed responsibility. Legal analyst Femi Falana argues the charges have no standing under criminal law's personal liability principle and serve primarily as a pretext for military intervention, mirroring the pattern used against Venezuela's Maduro in January 2026.