Raul Castro, 95, Skips Cuban Revolution Anniversary for First Time in 30 Years

Former Cuban President Raul Castro, a symbol of the revolution, skipped the anniversary event for the Cuban Revolution for the first time in decades, sparking widespread speculation over the background of his absence.

According to the Associated Press on the 26th (local time), numerous citizens gathered at the commemorative event held in Pinar del Rio, eastern Cuba, waving Cuban flags, but former President Castro was nowhere to be seen.

This marks the first time in at least 30 years that he has missed the event.

Cuban authorities have not provided any explanation for his absence.

Current President Miguel Diaz-Canel began his speech by reading a congratulatory message sent by former President Castro.

Former President Castro, who is 95 years old this year, was last seen in public during an event commemorating the founding of the Ministry of the Interior last June.

The annual revolution anniversary commemorates the July 26, 1953, attack on the Moncada and Carlos Manuel de Cespedes barracks by brothers Fidel Castro and Raul Castro against the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista.

Although the military operation failed at the time, it served as a catalyst for the success of the Cuban Revolution in 1959.

Fidel Castro served as president from 1976 to 2008 and passed away in 2016.

Raul Castro succeeded his brother, serving as president from 2008 to 2018.

Although former President Castro currently holds no official position, he is still regarded as Cuba's influential behind-the-scenes powerbroker.

His absence from the revolution anniversary drew even more attention against the backdrop of recently worsening relations between Cuba and the United States.

U.S. President Donald Trump has been pushing for regime change in Cuba after publicly declaring his intention to take control of Cuba following the attack on Venezuela, a key ally of Cuba, last January.

The United States has imposed high-intensity sanctions on countries supplying fuel to Cuba, effectively placing the island under a comprehensive blockade.

As a result, the worst economic crisis in decades is deepening across Cuba, marked by massive nationwide blackouts.

In addition to the economic blockade, political tensions escalated when the U.S. Department of Justice indicted former President Castro last May.

The indictment raised charges related to his involvement in the 1996 shooting down of two aircraft operated by Brothers to the Rescue, a Miami-based Cuban exile group, which resulted in the deaths of four people on board.

At the time of the incident, former President Castro was the Minister of Defense.

Taking the podium to deliver a speech that day, President Diaz-Canel also directly refuted a report released by the U.S. Department of State last week.

The report claimed that Cuba has operated leftist intelligence and covert networks targeting the United States and Latin America over the past several decades.
 
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.