MIAMI.– The Cuban exile community, together with relatives of victims and the Assembly of the Cuban Resistance (ARC), gathered hundreds of people this Monday in Tamiami Park for a solemn vigil on the eve of the thirtieth anniversary of the downing of the Hermanos al Rescate planes.
This central act, held in front of the obelisk of the Cuban Memorial, seeks to honor the memory of the four pilots murdered by the Cuban Air Force on February 24, 1996 and to rekindle international pressure for the US judicial system to criminally prosecute Raúl Castro as the person most responsible for the military operation.
The incident occurred in international airspace when MiG-29 fighters of the Cuban air force intercepted and destroyed two unarmed Cessna 337 Skymaster light aircraft with missiles.
The aircraft, belonging to the organization founded by José Basulto, carried out search and aid work for rafters trying to escape from the island during the economic crisis of the “Special Period.”
Three US citizens and one legal resident lost their lives in the attack: Armando Alejandre Jr. (45 years old), Carlos A. Costa (29 years old), Mario M. de la Peña (24 years old) and Pablo Morales (29 years old).
“Amando, Carlos, Mario Manuel and Pablo saved thousands of rafters in their humanitarian missions in Brothers to the Rescue, locating and rescuing those who were escaping from the communist regime of Cuba towards freedom, in the Straits of Florida,” the ARC said in a statement.
And he added: “This is a moment to honor their memory and ask for justice for those victims who gave their lives in such an honorable mission.”
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) condemned the incident months later after confirming through radars and testimonies that the civilian ships were flying outside Cuban territory at the time of impact.
“It is incredible that the crime committed by Hermanos al Rescate still remains unpunished and that Raúl Castro has not yet been prosecuted. The only thing that can restore peace is justice. For there to be peace, there must be justice,” survivor Sylvia Iriondo told DIARIO LAS AMÉRICAS.
Iriondo was traveling aboard the small plane N2506, along with other people, who managed to escape the attack unharmed.
More tributes
The tributes will continue this Tuesday, February 24 at Florida International University (FIU). Students and relatives will observe a minute of silence at 3:15 pm in the square dedicated to the martyrs, coinciding with the exact time of the first impact.
Likewise, the Foundation maintains the February 24 Martyrs Scholarship active, an initiative that encourages academic research on this crime that, three decades later, remains a symbol of the regime’s impunity in the face of civilian rescue missions.
Judicial offensive and recent arrests
The 2026 commemoration comes with a renewed legal push led by Cuban-American congressmen Mario Díaz-Balart, María Elvira Salazar, Carlos A. Giménez and Senator Ashley Moody.
Lawmakers recently sent a formal request to the White House asking the Justice Department to issue formal indictments against Raúl Castro and request a red alert from Interpol. They base their claim on Castro’s position as Minister of the Armed Forces in 1996 and on intelligence recordings where he explicitly ordered the downing of the planes.
This claim gains strength after the arrest last November of retired colonel Luis Raúl González-Pardo Rodríguez in United States territory.
The former pilot, operationally linked to the pursuit of José Basulto’s plane that day, now faces federal charges for immigration fraud by hiding his military history.
His presence in the United States generated indignation among the families of the victims, who see his capture as an opportunity to clarify operational details of that deadly day.
