MIAMI (WSVN) – Thirty years after Cuban MiG fighter jets shot down two unarmed Brothers to the Rescue planes over international waters, the victims’ families gathered in Miami to honor the dead and renew their call for justice.
The Assembly of the Cuban Resistance held a candlelight vigil Monday night at the Cuban Memorial Monument in Tamiami Park in Southest Miami-Dade, marking the 30th anniversary of the Feb. 24, 1996 attack that killed four men.
Mirian De La Peña, whose son Mario Manuel De La Peña was among those killed, stood before the crowd and demanded accountability.
“It is important that the criminal be indicted, and that’s what we are asking for,” she said. “That Raúl Castro, who gave the authorization to kill American citizens in international airspace, be indicted.”
Brothers to the Rescue was an anti-communist humanitarian organization that flew volunteer missions over the Florida Straits to locate Cuban refugees attempting to flee the island by sea. Over the years, the group is credited with saving thousands of lives.
On that day, the Cuban Air Force, under orders from the Castro regime, shot down two of the organization’s Cessna aircraft in international airspace, killing all four men aboard. The incident drew international condemnation, but no criminal charges have ever been filed against Cuban officials responsible for the order.
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