Caracas (OrinocoTribune.com)—The ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) rejected the US arrest warrant issued for Cuban revolutionary leader Raúl Castro, describing the warrant as an imperialist act of intimidation and reaffirming the party’s solidarity with the Cuban people and government.
In a statement published Wednesday, October 21, the PSUV said the warrant against the 95-year-old leader lacked a real legal basis, violated fundamental principles of international law, and sought to undermine Cuba’s sovereignty.
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PSUV rechaza nueva orden de arresto contra el compañero Raúl Castro y ratifica su solidaridad con el pueblo y gobierno cubano. pic.twitter.com/PYvNPVAaHZ
— PSUV (@PartidoPSUV) October 21, 2026
The party said the measure adds to the US economic blockade and the material asphyxiation imposed on the island since January 2026. The PSUV called for urgent, joint action by Latin American and Caribbean nations to demand an end to the blockade and defend Cuba’s right to sovereignty, independence, and self-determination.
US authorities claim that the warrant is based on allegations against Raúl Castro related to the 1996 downing of two aircraft operated by the Cuban far-right exile group Brothers to the Rescue, a organization link to the US establishment and to acts of terrorism. A federal indictment against Raúl Castro over the same incident was filed in May. Prior to the planes being downed, Cuba immediately notified the aircraft for repeatedly violating Cuban airspace and acted under international protocols to defend its sovereignty.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel condemned the warrant as a “repudiable action” with an electoral backdrop, saying it had no legal or practical meaning. He described it as a “legal disguise” mounted by anti-Cuban politicians and part of Washington’s effort to justify the illegale blockade and collective punishment of the Cuban people.
Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez also condemned the move. On Wednesday, he called the warrant an “infamous act” with no legal, ethical, or practical value and said the latest measure was intended to intensify the economic asphyxiation of Cuba. Rodríguez warned that further actions of this kind could follow, but said US policy toward Cuba would eventually have to change.
Cuban officials and other political voices have linked the US decision to issue the warrant to electoral calculations ahead of the US midterm elections. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said she viewed the US decision as political and connected to the November election and efforts to win votes. Their comments place the Florida case within the broader US imperialist “regime”-change campaign against Cuba, which includes the criminal economic blockade and other coercive measures.
Chavista analysts welcomed the PSUV’s gesture of solidarity while noting that the communiqué was issued by the party, not as an official statement of the Venezuelan government. The analysts claim this distinction highlights the distance between the PSUV’s position and recent postures from Venezuela following the US bombing of the country on January 3, when US forces abducted President Nicolás Maduro while killing more than 100 people; the dead included 32 Cuban personnel and 47 Venezuelan soldiers
The PSUV called on Latin American and Caribbean governments to act jointly against the blockade and defend Cuba’s sovereignty in the face of US imperialist pressure.
The unofficial translation of the statement follows:
The United Socialist Party of Venezuela expresses its solidarity with the people and government of Cuba and firmly rejects the new arrest warrant issued by a court in the state of Florida, United States, against comrade Raúl Castro, Commander of the Armed Forces of our sister nation.
This intimidating maneuver against a 95-year-old historic leader, in addition to lacking any genuine legal basis, violates the fundamental principles of international law and seeks to undermine the sovereignty of the Republic of Cuba.
This action adds to the tightening of the economic blockade and the policy of material asphyxiation imposed on the Cuban people since January 2026. This calls for urgent and joint action by the nations of Latin America and the Caribbean to demand the immediate end of the siege against the island.
Today more than ever, the PSUV reiterates its call to respect Cuba’s sovereignty and the right of its people to independence and self-determination.
The criminal record of Brothers to the Rescue
Brothers to the Rescue was part of the Miami-based counterrevolutionary network that waged armed attacks and destabilization campaigns against Cuba. Its leader, José Basulto, was a CIA agent trained at Fort Bragg and Fort Benning, as reported by Granma.
In 1961, Basulto joined Operation 40 in support of the invasion at Playa Girón; in 1962, he took part in an armed attack on Havana’s Chaplin theater, a student residence, and the ICAP hotel. Founded in 1991 under the banner of allegedly rescuing people onboard rafts in the sea between Cuba and the US, the organization soon used its aircraft for political warfare. Brothers to the Rescue violated Cuban airspace, dropping anti-government leaflets over Havana and defying repeated warnings. Declassified FAA records document the incursions and warnings.
The Florida prosecution isolates the 1996 incident from this history of US-backed counterrevolution and turns decades of imperialist aggression against Cuba into a case against the island’s defenders
Special for Orinoco Tribune by staff
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