US indicts Cuba’s former leader Raul Castro: Why it matters

Key points

• The administration of United States President Donald Trump has issued criminal charges against former Cuban leader Raul Castro over the 1996 downing of two civilian planes, killing four.
• On Wednesday, in a speech from Miami’s Freedom Tower, acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche described the indictment as a historic moment.
• “For the first time in nearly 70 years, senior leadership of the Cuban regime has been charged in this country, in the United States of America, for acts of violence resulting in the deaths of American citizens,” Blanche said.
• “Nations and their leaders cannot be permitted to target Americans, kill them, and not face accountability.” The criminal charges against Castro — a prominent figure in Cuba’s Communist Party — and five co-defendants is poised to further ratchet up tensions between Cuba and the US.
• Since returning to office for a second term, Trump has escalated sanctions and implemented a de...