Raúl Castro Indicted — But Who Answers for the 73 Who Died Over Barbados?

The United States has indicted former Cuban President Raúl Castro in connection with the 1996 shootdown of two civilian aircraft by Cuban fighter jets — an attack that killed four members of the Brothers to the Rescue humanitarian group. But the indictment raises a painful question for the Caribbean: who answers for the 73 people who died when Cubana Flight 455 was bombed over Barbados in 1976?

The Cubana disaster, in which a civilian airliner exploded mid-flight off the coast of Barbados, remains the deadliest act of aviation terrorism in the Western Hemisphere before 9/11. All 73 people on board — including the entire Cuban youth fencing team — were killed. The bombing was carried out by anti-Castro militants with alleged ties to intelligence agencies. No one has ever been held fully accountable.

The timing of the Raúl Castro indictment has reopened old wounds across the Caribbean. For many in the region, the US pursuit of justice for the 1996 shootdown — while the 1976 bombing remains unresolved — feels selective at best.

Cuban officials have dismissed the indictment as politically motivated. Caribbean leaders have called for a comprehensive reckoning with all acts of political violence in the region's history, not just those that fit a particular narrative.

The Raúl Castro case will proceed in US courts. But for the families of the 73 Cubana victims, justice remains as distant as ever.

This is Sharon Sahatoo for Global1 News, reporting from Couva, Trinidad. 🇹🇹