HAVANA, May 21 (Xinhua) -- A U.S. indictment against Cuban Revolution leader Raul Castro over the downing of two aircraft nearly 30 years ago has drawn strong criticism in Cuba, where officials, scholars and residents see the move as politically motivated and part of Washington's broader pressure campaign against Havana.
The indictment came after months of heightened tensions between the two countries. Since the beginning of the year, the Trump administration has announced new measures against Cuba, including restrictions targeting countries that supply oil to the island and additional sanctions against Cuban entities and officials. Cuban authorities have also denounced recent U.S. remarks hinting at possible military action as a dangerous escalation.
Against that backdrop, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said Wednesday on X that the charges against Castro are a "political maneuver" with no legal basis.
He said the indictment reveals "the arrogance and frustration" of U.S. officials in the face of the Cuban Revolution and is intended to "enlarge the file" Washington is building to justify possible military aggression against Cuba.
On Wednesday, a grand jury from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida indicted Castro in connection with the downing of two planes operated by a U.S.-based Cuban exile group named "Brothers to the Rescue" in 1996.
Diaz-Canel rejected Washington's account of the incident, saying Cuba acted in "legitimate self-defense" after repeated violations of the island country's airspace by members of the Miami-based group. Cuba issued more than a dozen warnings about the violations before the aircraft were shot down, he said.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez also condemned the indictment, calling it "illegitimate and illegal" and saying it seeks to reinforce what he described as a "fraudulent narrative" to justify aggression against the Cuban people.
Similar concerns were voiced by Cuban scholars and residents, who said the case has revived fears that Washington could use the legal move as another pretext for tightening pressure on Cuba.
Luis Rene Fernandez, a Cuban economist and professor at the University of Havana, said the indictment is part of what he called a "high-intensity hybrid war" by the United States against Cuba.
Fernandez said the legal move could be used to justify new measures against the island at a time when Washington has tightened sanctions and increased political pressure.
For ordinary Cubans, the issue is also closely tied to daily hardships caused by long-running U.S. sanctions.
Liuba Hernandez, a 43-year-old self-employed worker, said the accusation against Castro appears to be another excuse for maintaining pressure on Cuba. She said tighter U.S. sanctions have worsened fuel shortages and power outages, which affect work and daily life across the country.
Leonel Felipe de la O, a 72-year-old retiree from Havana's Cerro municipality, said many Cubans view the indictment as another attempt by the United States to create a pretext for intervention.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday his predecessors had mulled intervening in Cuba for decades and now it looks like he will be "the one that does it."
Castro, 94, is the youngest brother of late Cuban Revolution leader Fidel Castro. A guerrilla fighter along with his brother, Raul Castro served as a military and political leader after the triumph of the revolution in 1959. Enditem
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