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US trial against Cuban pilot over 1996 plane crash involving Raúl Castro postponed
🇲🇽 Mexico /Crime & Justice

US trial against Cuban pilot over 1996 plane crash involving Raúl Castro postponed

From El Universal · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Documents & data In the courts
  • The trial in the U.S. against Cuban pilot Luis Raúl González-Pardo for the 1996 downing of two aircraft, which killed four aviators from the Brothers to the Rescue organization, has been postponed until at least September.
  • The case also involves former Cuban President Raúl Castro, who is among six Cubans indicted by the U.S. in May.
  • The delay is due to the significant volume of evidence, including classified material and decades-old records, that needs to be processed by both the prosecution and defense.

A U.S. federal judge has postponed the trial of Cuban pilot Luis Raúl González-Pardo, originally scheduled for August 24, until at least September. The trial concerns the 1996 downing of two aircraft belonging to the Brothers to the Rescue organization, an incident that killed four aviators. The U.S. has also indicted former Cuban President Raúl Castro and five other Cubans in connection with the case. The delay, requested by both the prosecution and defense, is attributed to the substantial amount of evidence, which includes classified materials, outdated media, and physical evidence dating back three decades. A status conference is set for September 2, 2026, to finalize trial details. González-Pardo, the only one of the six indicted Cubans currently detained, was already serving a seven-month sentence for a separate immigration fraud case. The charges against Castro and the others include conspiracy to murder Americans and murder, carrying a maximum penalty of death or life imprisonment for the 95-year-old former president.

DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by El Universal in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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