HAVANA, June 5 – Cuba’s former leader Raul Castro appeared at an Interior Ministry celebration in Havana, showed state television on Friday, in the elder statesman’s first public appearance since his indictment on murder charges last month in the United States.
The Trump administration has accused the former defense minister of ordering Cuban military jets to shoot down planes operated by a group of Cuban exiles in 1996, a major escalation in Washington’s pressure campaign against the island’s communist government.
Castro, who turned 95 on Wednesday, was last seen in public a month ago during May 1 festivities in Havana, just prior to his indictment.
He had previously not been seen since January 15, when he appeared in a public ceremony in the capital paying homage to the 32 Cuban soldiers killed during the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. REUTERS