{"id":8767,"date":"2026-05-22T17:02:23","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T17:02:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=8767"},"modified":"2026-05-22T17:02:23","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T17:02:23","slug":"rare-public-appearances-low-profile-mark-raul-castros-life-since-stepping-down-as-cubas-president","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=8767","title":{"rendered":"Rare public appearances, low profile mark Ra\u00fal Castro\u2019s life since stepping down as Cuba\u2019s president"},"content":{"rendered":"

By ANDREA RODR\u00cdGUEZ<\/strong><\/p>\n

HAVANA (AP) \u2014 Former President Ra\u00fal Castro was last seen surrounded by tens of thousands of people attending a state-organized rally for International Workers\u2019 Day along Havana\u2019s famed seawall.<\/p>

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The 94-year-old stood tall and unwavering under a warming sun, even as some people nearby fainted before the May 1 event began. Standing behind him was his security detail, led by grandson Ra\u00fal Guillermo Rodr\u00edguez Castro.<\/p>\n

It was a rare public appearance for the last Castro from the revolutionary era. While he is believed to wield significant influence over the government, he maintains a low profile even as a general of Cuba\u2019s army.<\/p>\n

He was in the spotlight Wednesday when U.S. prosecutors unveiled an indictment that accuses Castro of ordering the 1996 shootdown of civilian planes flown by Miami-based exiles. The charges include murder and destruction of an airplane. Castro was minister of defense at the time.<\/p>\n

The indictment and remarks Thursday by U.S. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio renewed fears of a possible U.S. military intervention in Cuba, much like what happened in Venezuela in early January.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe expect that he will show up here, by his own will or by another way,\u201d acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche said in announcing the charges against the former Cuban president during a press conference in Miami.<\/p>\n

Cuba\u2019s socialist government condemned the charges and held a rally Friday to honor Castro.<\/p>

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Thousands of people crowded into Havana\u2019s famed seawall to demonstrate their support for him and decry the indictment against him. Ra\u00fal Castro did not attend, but present were his grandson and his daughter, Mariela Castro.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho do they think they are to judge Ra\u00fal?\u201d Gerardo Hern\u00e1ndez asked as the crowd that had gathered in front of the U.S. embassy cheered. Hern\u00e1ndez is one of five Cubans accused of being a spy who was imprisoned and later released by the U.S. in 2014.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the United States, the law is a tailor-made suit,\u201d he said before punching the air with this fist to a shout of \u201cViva Ra\u00fal!\u201d<\/p>

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The crowd responded to his call: \u201cHomeland or death, we will vanquish!\u201d<\/p>

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