US raises pressure on Cuba, charging Raul Castro with murder

The United States has indicted former Cuban President Raul Castro, the US Department of Justice announced Wednesday.

Castro has been charged for his alleged role in the downing of two civilian US planes by Cuban air force fighter jets in 1996, which killed four members of a Miami-based anti-Castro humanitarian group known as Brothers to the Rescue. Castro was defense minister at the time.

US indicts Cuba's Raul Castro over deadly 1996 plane attack

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Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez has denounced the allegations, calling it a "political maneuver, devoid of any legal foundation."

Diaz-Canel also accused the US of lying and distorting the events surrounding the 1996 plane downing.

Castro, the brother of longtime Cuban President Fidel Castro, oversaw a historic 2015 rapprochement with the US under the presidency of Barack Obama. Donald Trump later reversed the move in 2017, during his first term in office. 

The indictment was filed in a federal court in Miami, with the charges being one count of conspiracy to kill US nationals, four counts of murder and two counts of destruction of aircraft, according to court records.

President Donald Trump called the indictment a "very big moment," adding that Washington is "freeing up Cuba." He added that he did not know what comes next for the island nation, but ruled out an "escalation" in the country.

Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche said the indictment is proof that the US "does not and will not forget its citizens."

"Nations and countries cannot be permitted to target Americans and not face accountability," he added.

Rubio tells Cubans: A 'new path' is on offer 

Earlier Wednesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio addressed Cubans and told them a "new path" is on offer for them.

In a Spanish-language video released on the day Cuban-Americans mark the island's independence from Spain, Rubio accused the leadership of Cuba's Communist Party of theft, corruption and oppression.

"President Trump is offering a new path between the US and a new Cuba," said Rubio, whose parents immigrated to the US from Cuba. "A new Cuba where you have a real opportunity to choose who governs your country and vote to replace them if they are not doing a good job."

Rubio acknowledged the "unimaginable hardships" Cubans are going through, which include daily island-wide electricity outages lasting up to 22 hours due to oil shortages. 

Cuba's grid falters again, triggering blackouts and unrest

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According to Rubio, Cuban military-backed conglomerate GAESA is guilty of making the country's elites rich while ordinary citizens suffer, calling it a "state within a state."

"And the only role played by the so-called 'government' is to demand that you continue making 'sacrifices' and repressing anyone who dares to complain."

Reacting on social media, Cuban Foreign Affairs Minister Bruno Rodriguez said Rubio's statement was "superficial and misinformed." He did not refer to ​Castro's indictment in his comments.

Trump admin fuel blockade sparks backlash

The Trump administration has implemented a blockade on fuel coming into Cuba, sparking an energy crisis on the island. The US has also maintained a decadeslong trade embargo on Cuba.

President Diaz-Canel has urged the Trump administration to lift its de facto oil blockade on the island, condemning the US sanctions as "immoral, illegal and criminal."

Most recently,tensions between the US and Cuba have also been rising over the country's reported deal to buy more than 300 drones from Russia and Iran.

Edited by: Wesley Dockery