U.S. Indicts Raúl Castro and Cuba Stages Large Pro‑Government Rallies

Overview

• Federal prosecutors in Miami filed an indictment charging Raúl Castro with homicide and destruction of aircraft in the 1996 shootdown, a case made public on Friday that revives a decades‑old grievance.
• Senior U.S. officials have escalated rhetoric, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio calling Cuba a national‑security threat and the White House expanding sanctions and enforcement measures.
• Cuban authorities organized large demonstrations in front of the U.S. embassy in Havana on Friday, with President Miguel Díaz‑Canel and other top officials denouncing the indictment as a provocation.
• U.S. agents arrested Adys Lastres Morera in Florida and held her in immigration custody pending deportation as part of stepped‑up actions against individuals tied to the Cuban state and its military‑run businesses.
• Analysts warn the crisis could play out in several ways — targeted captures, leadership change, or deeper economic collapse — while the U.S. has offered $100 million in conditional humanitarian aid amid growing shortages and power cuts.