Nelson Morales, whose brother was one of the four Cubans killed by the regime in the 1996 shootdown of Brothers to the Rescue planes, is calling for an investigation into how retired Lieutenant Colonel Luis Raúl González-Pardo Rodríguez, a former military pilot linked to the crime, entered the United States and received humanitarian parole.
"I believe he should be prosecuted and let the grand jury decide whether to imprison or execute him, because if it were up to me, I'd have him executed," Morales told América TeVe.
Nelson recounted how he learned about the incident and his own need to flee from potential retribution by the dictatorship. At the time, he was a member of Cuba's merchant marine and stationed in Puerto Colón, Panama. When he heard about the planes being shot down, he didn't realize that one of the victims was his brother until he overheard the government searching for the brother of one of the "terrorists" while in the ship's telegraph room. He immediately fled the ship and surrendered to Panamanian authorities.
Seeking Justice Decades Later
Twenty-eight years later, now living in Miami, Nelson holds out hope for justice for the four young men murdered in international waters. This comes after lawyers and political leaders in Florida announced that state laws could allow for legal action against Raúl Castro for the crime.
In February 1996, just days before Pablo's death, Nelson spoke with him on the phone, expressing concern over the regime's threats to shoot down the planes if they entered Cuban airspace. Pablo reassured him, saying he wouldn't be flying that day. Tragically, the 29-year-old, who worked in a supermarket and volunteered on weekends for search and rescue missions, was among those killed.
The Story of Pablo Morales
Pablo had arrived in the United States during the 1994 rafter crisis and joined Brothers to the Rescue in gratitude; the organization had saved him from drowning. His brother Nelson even bought the gas for his journey. Pablo was the only one of the four victims who hadn't yet received U.S. citizenship, though he was a resident.
Controversy Over Former Military Pilot
Recently, it was revealed that the regime's former military pilot, Luis Raúl González-Pardo Rodríguez, allegedly involved in the shootdown, has been residing in the United States since April under the humanitarian parole program. Cuban exile leaders in Miami have intensified their efforts to push for an investigation, urging local and state authorities to review the evidence and consider opening a formal case against him.
Marcell Felipe, president of the American Museum of the Cuban Diaspora, emphasized the urgency of taking action. "With the federal government willing to intervene, now is the time to move this issue forward and follow the law," he stated.
The Cuban community expressed outrage and shock upon learning that González-Pardo Rodríguez was in the country, given his involvement in the operation that resulted in the deaths of three Cuban Americans and one Cuban resident. The former military officer, a member of Cuba's Air Defense and Revolutionary Air Force (DAAFAR), was linked to the mission that intercepted the civilian planes in international waters, as determined by an investigation by the International Civil Aviation Organization.
Orestes Lorenzo Pérez, a pilot who defected from Cuba in 1991, confirmed that his former colleague took part in the aerial pursuit that led to the shootdown, although González-Pardo Rodríguez claimed he did not fire on the planes. "It's absolutely true that he was involved in the shootdown of the Brothers to the Rescue planes. There's no doubt. He was the pilot with the call sign 22 and he was the one who pursued José Basulto [the founder of Brothers to the Rescue]," Lorenzo Pérez said in an interview with Juan Manuel Cao.