Rocío Monasterio, a former leader of Spain's Vox party with Cuban heritage, expressed her excitement on Thursday following the formal indictment of Raúl Castro in the United States. This indictment is for the 1996 shootdown of two Brothers to the Rescue planes. Monasterio took to her X account, declaring, "Finally, justice will prevail! At last, the murderer Raúl Castro will pay for his crimes."
The indictment, a breaking news story reported by Spanish media outlet ABC.es, charges the ex-Cuban dictator with conspiracy to murder American citizens, destruction of aircraft, and four separate counts of homicide.
In an earlier post, Monasterio shared a video featuring a speech by Secretary of State Marco Rubio addressed to the Cuban people, with a message of hope: "#Cuba closer to freedom. Thank you @SecRubio for all your work, for giving us hope, for restoring our dreams!"
This development follows the announcement by U.S. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on May 20, who filed the formal charges at the Freedom Tower in Miami, coinciding with Cuba's Independence Day.
Blanche stated, "For the first time in nearly 70 years, senior officials of the Cuban regime are being held accountable in the United States for violent acts that resulted in the deaths of American citizens."
The charges, approved by a federal grand jury in Miami on April 23 and unsealed on Wednesday, are based on a June 1996 audio recording in which Raúl Castro orders the shootdown: "Well, shoot them down over the sea when they show up; and do not consult those who have the authority."
The four victims of the shootdown—Armando Alejandre Jr., Carlos Costa, Mario Manuel de la Peña, and Pablo Morales—were residents of Miami. Their bodies were never recovered.
Alongside Castro, five Cuban military officers were indicted, including Lorenzo Alberto Pérez-Pérez, identified as the pilot who fired the missiles, and Luis Raúl González-Pardo Rodríguez, who was arrested in November 2025 in the U.S. for immigration fraud.
Monasterio's personal connection to the Cuban cause is profound. Her father, born in Cienfuegos, Cuba, in 1929, lost his family's sugar estates following the 1959 Revolution. In February 2023, she was named "Ambassador of the Cuban Exile in Spain" by the Assembly of the Cuban Resistance in Miami.
Despite being removed as the regional president of Vox in Madrid in October 2024, Monasterio has remained vocal about Cuba via social media. On April 30, she asserted that "ending the Havana regime is a moral obligation" to demonstrate communism's failure to the world.
The indictment is largely symbolic: Raúl Castro, now 94, has never set foot in the United States, and there is no extradition treaty between Cuba and the U.S. However, if convicted, he could face life imprisonment or the death penalty. Cuban-American attorney Willy Allen emphasized the gravity of the situation: "Right now, he is a fugitive from U.S. law."
Key Questions About Raúl Castro's Indictment
What are the charges against Raúl Castro?
Raúl Castro faces charges of conspiracy to murder American citizens, destruction of aircraft, and four counts of homicide related to the 1996 shootdown of Brothers to the Rescue planes.
Who else has been indicted alongside Raúl Castro?
Five Cuban military officers have been indicted, including Lorenzo Alberto Pérez-Pérez, the pilot who fired the missiles, and Luis Raúl González-Pardo Rodríguez, who was arrested in the U.S. for immigration fraud.
What is the significance of the indictment?
The indictment is symbolic, highlighting the U.S. commitment to holding Cuban regime leaders accountable for their actions, despite the lack of an extradition agreement with Cuba.