Indicted Raul Castro reappears after months out of public view

HAVANA - US-indicted Cuban leader Raul Castro received a standing ovation as he appeared in public for the first time in months on Aug 13, attending an event in Havana to mark the centenary of his brother Fidel’s birth.

The 95-year-old head of the Cuban armed forces and former president entered the Karl Marx theatre for a celebration rally amid the island’s worst crisis in living memory.

He appeared at the event dressed in his trademark olive-green military uniform, AFP reporters witnessed, amid tight security.

Cellphones were banned from the ceremony, bags were closely screened and delegates put through a metal detector by a sizable security force.

Castro is the last surviving leader of Cuba’s 1959 revolution and seen as still wielding power on the island, despite stepping down as president in 2018.

In May, he was indicted by a court in the US state of Florida on four counts of murder.

The charges related to the downing of US civilian planes by Cuban forces on Feb 24, 1996, when Castro was defence minister.

He last appeared in public at a May 1 event in front of the US embassy in Havana, where he appeared frail, and was shown on state television at events in June.

The United States has set up an energy embargo of the communist-ruled island, demanding a change in government and deep economic and political reform.

In recent months, US President Donald Trump and other senior US officials have openly hinted at a military intervention or takeover of Cuba.

“All options are on the table, to include military options,” Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Aug 12.

“I think Cuba would be wise to pay attention to the willingness of President Trump to assert American strategic prerogatives.”

Rallying the party faithful

Members of Cuban children's theatre company La Colmenita perform during the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Cuban revolution leader Fidel Castro at the Karl Marx Theater in Havana, Cuba. PHOTO: EPA

The crisis and years of poor maintenance have fuelled rolling blackouts and shortages of basic goods.

In June, Cuba’s presidency said on social media that the former president had approved a package of economic reforms aimed at addressing the crisis facing the island, which is under heavy pressure from Washington.

Cuba’s Communist Party has used the 100 years since late president Fidel Castro’s birth to rally the party faithful and the armed forces through a week-long series of exhibitions, concerts and conferences.

On Aug 13, they shouted “I am Fidel” and applauded throughout the performances and speeches.

But the anniversary has passed largely unnoticed by normal Cubans who are more concerned with finding water, getting supplies and keeping cool in the intense summer heat.

For many, today’s hardships only serve to highlight the absence of a leader who died a decade ago and is still seen as the wiley strategist who outwitted his American foes.

The Aug 13 event featured La Colmenita, a Cuban children’s theatre company that was a favourite of Fidel’s.

Toward the end of the performance Raul stood and gestured to the crowd that they should stand and applaud. AFP