Raul Castro, the defining symbol of revolutionary Cuba, is in the crosshairs of the US government

Raul Castro, formally retired from public office at 94 but still controlling the Communist Party’s political bureau, is becoming a direct target of U.S. pressure. The U.S. Department of Justice plans to indict him next Wednesday in Miami, where Cuban exiles have long sought political change. The charges relate to the February 24, 1996 shootdown of two civilian Cessna aircraft operated by Brothers to the Rescue. Cuban Air Force MiG jets killed four volunteers searching for rafters at sea. The incident occurred over international waters in the Florida Straits, according to the International Civil Aviation Organization, while Cuba claimed its airspace was violated. The event deepened the already hostile relationship between Washington and Havana, with Castro then serving as defense minister.

"At 94, formally retired from public office but still maintaining control over the Communist Party's political bureau, the last great symbol of Castroism, former Cuban president Raul Castro, is watching the U.S. pressure campaign begin to focus directly on him. The hardline Cuban military leader will be indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice next Wednesday, in a move that along with the imposed energy blockade underscores the level of pressure Washington is exerting on the regime to force a change of course in a country mired in a deep economic and social crisis."

"A Justice Department official cited by Reuters said federal prosecutors will unveil the formal charges against Castro in Miami, the epicenter of a Cuban exile community that has spent decades awaiting political change on the island just 230 miles away. The action for which the U.S. government intends to charge Castro dates back to February 24, 1996, when Cuban Air Force MiG fighter jets shot down two civilian Cessna 337 aircraft belonging to the exile group Brothers to the Rescue."

"The incident which the International Civil Aviation Organization said took place over international waters in the Florida Straits, though Cuba claimed its sovereign airspace had been violated resulted in the deaths of four volunteers dedicated to searching for Cuban rafters at sea. The episode marked an irreversible breaking point in the already frigid relationship between Washington and Havana. Castro was serving as defense minister at the time. The Cuban government argued that its response was legitimate because of repeated incursions into its airspace."

"We need to treat this [indictment] cautiously and wait to see whether it actually materializes. It would seem schizophrenic for the U.S. government to send one of the top figures in its intelligence apparatus [to negotiate in Cuba] while simultaneously preparing an operation like the one in Venezuela. Frankly, it makes no sense to me; it would be absurd for the United Stat"

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