At An Annual Cuban Revolution Celebration, Raúl Castro Is Conspicuously Absent

HAVANA — Cuba held a accepted rally Sunday to commemorate 1 of nan revolution’s astir important anniversaries, but erstwhile President Raúl Castro was conspicuously absent.

It was nan first clip successful astatine slightest 30 years that Castro, now 95, did not be nan event, and nary mentation was given. President Miguel Díaz-Canel publication a congratulatory connection from Castro to his compatriots astatine nan rally, held successful nan eastbound metropolis of Pinar del Río.

The yearly arena commemorates nan July 26, 1953, battle led by brothers Fidel and Raúl Castro connected nan Moncada and Carlos Manuel de Céspedes barracks successful Cuba’s eastbound region. The subject action against dictator Fulgencio Batista failed, but it marked nan opening of nan revolutionary struggle that culminated connected Jan. 1, 1959.

Raúl Castro’s past nationalist appearances were successful June, during an arena to found nan Ministry of nan Interior, and connected May 1 to observe Labor Day.

He nary longer holds immoderate general positions, but his symbolic beingness is strong, and he was precocious identified arsenic 1 of nan negotiators successful talks pinch nan United States pursuing nan imposition of a U.S. power embargo.

Facing a crowd of hundreds of group waving Cuban flags early Sunday, Díaz-Canel rejected a study that nan U.S. State Department published past week that accused Havana of moving a leftist espionage and power web against nan United States and Latin America for decades.

“Every time they rumor a threat against nan revolution, and each week they denote a caller reward for Cuban companies and officials,” nan president said.

In May, Castro was charged successful a U.S. indictment pinch execution and different crimes for his alleged domiciled successful nan downing of 2 civilian craft operated by Miami-based exiles successful 1996 disconnected nan seashore of nan Caribbean island.

The accusations were rejected by Cuba’s government.

Cuba is going done 1 of nan worst periods successful its historically tense narration pinch nan United States.

President Trump has said he hopes to “take over” nan land aft his January onslaught connected Venezuela — a cardinal state of Cuba for decades — and he has imposed an lipid embargo that has practically paralyzed nan Caribbean nation, pressuring it to alteration its economical and governmental model.

“Cuba is nan unfortunate of a coldly calculated genocide,” Díaz-Canel said during his speech, successful which he accused nan Trump management of imposing a argumentation of “maximum pressure” and intensified “economic strangulation.”

Daily blackouts are lasting much than 20 hours, workdays person been reduced, business accumulation halted, and shortages of h2o and medicine are hitting a mini state already undergoing a terrible situation successful nan past 5 years fixed erstwhile sanctions imposed by nan U.S. and an soul financial betterment that sparked inflation.

Meanwhile, edifice chains including Spain’s Meliá, costs processors for illustration Visa and Mastercard and airlines specified arsenic Air Canada and Air France person near nan land arsenic its economical and financial crises deepen.

Rodríguez writes for nan Associated Press.