HAVANA — Raúl Castro turned 95 on June 3, 2026, as the U.S. government pursues criminal charges against him in connection with the 1996 downing of civilian planes over Cuban waters. The indictment, filed nearly three weeks after Castro appeared at a May 1 rally in Havana, accuses him of murder and destruction of an airplane.
Born on June 3, 1931, in the village of Birán in eastern Cuba, Raúl Castro was the fourth of seven children. He attended school in Santiago de Cuba and later studied law at the University of Havana, where he became active in student opposition to the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista. By 1953, he participated in an armed attack on military barracks in Santiago, leading to his arrest, imprisonment, and eventual release before fleeing to Mexico to join the revolutionary movement that would overthrow Batista in 1959.
After the revolution, Castro was appointed minister of Cuba’s Revolutionary Armed Forces. In October 1965, he became second secretary of the Communist Party’s Central Committee. He assumed temporary leadership in 2006 when his brother Fidel’s health declined and was formally elected president by Cuba’s National Assembly in 2008. During his 12-year presidency, he permitted private enterprise, restored diplomatic relations with the U.S. in 2015, and negotiated the cancellation of most of Cuba’s Soviet-era debt with Russia in 2014.
Raúl Castro stepped down as president in 2018, succeeded by Miguel Díaz-Canel, and announced in April 2021 that he would not seek further political office. Though formally retired from politics, he retains a seat in the National Assembly and the title of general of the Revolutionary Armed Forces. He has made only sporadic public appearances since, most recently standing beside Díaz-Canel at the May 1 rally dressed in olive green military garb.
Cuba’s Communist Party posted videos on social media ahead of his birthday featuring citizens praising him, and the hashtag #RaúlesRaúl trended online. The Cuban Embassy in the U.S. noted on X: “Not many people have the privilege, the health, the stoicism — and if you like, you can also add: that quintessentially Cuban stubbornness — to reach the age of 95.” María Cristina Barrio Ramos, a 62-year-old teacher in Havana, said, “He gave us everything so that we could be free. We owe our freedom and dignity to him.” Digna Guerra, director of Cuba’s national choir, said, “To talk about Cuba, you have to talk about Raúl. He represents Cuban identity, he represents the Cuban people, he represents the revolution, which for us has immense significance. Thank you for existing.”
Raúl Castro has remained silent on the U.S. indictment. He has long avoided public celebrations of birthdays, monuments, or statues, a stance shared with his late brother Fidel, who said, “It is a privilege for me that, in addition to being an extraordinary revolutionary figure, he is a brother.” Fidel also said, “Everyone who gets to know him and become close to him realizes his humanism, his great character, and his feelings; they are surprised by the image of Raúl as belligerent, aggressive and harsh, when they see the feelings of friendship, affection, and love he is capable of having for people. And he has been a great mentor and a great educator.”