Every year since the week following the 1996 shoot-down, FCF members have joined together to hold a silent vigil at Florida International University
on February 24th between 3:21pm and 3:27pm at the times both planes
were blown up by Castro's MiGs in remembrance of Armando, Carlos, Mario,
and Pablo who gave their lives in service to others in a continuing
demand for justice.
This tradition has been maintainedfor the past 24 years and this year on Wednesday, February 24, 2021 at 3:21pm we will
gather with the families of the four martyrs to mark 25 years, but due to COVID-19 participation will be limited. Florida International University is limiting access to campus. To take part you must register with them in advance.
What: Vigil for BTTR shoot down victims
When: Gather @ 3pm Vigil starts 3:21pm on Wednesday, February 24
Where: Main Fountain
Florida International University
11200 South West 8th Street
Miami, FL
Considering these limitations due to the pandemic, and the importance of marking 25 years since this act of state terrorism committed by the Castro brothers that murdered three U.S. citizens and one U.S. resident, all of Cuban descent, and still calls for justice. A virtual vigil is being called for on all social media platforms on February 24th from 3:21pm to 3:27pm. Please take a picture of yourself joining in the vigil, and post it with the hashtags #VirtualVigil, #TruthJusticeMemory#WeAreConnected #JusticeForArmandoCarlosMarioAndPablo and #PatriaYVida.
In the four days leading up to the activity we are asking people of good will to join us in sharing the official report, images, and video interviews about what happened, and raising awareness around the world with the facts in evidence.
The report details how twenty five years ago on February 24, 1996 at 3:21pm and at 3:27pm two Brothers to
the Rescue planes were shot down by Cuban MiGs that launched air to air missiles in
international airspace extra-judicially executing Carlos Costa, Pablo
Morales, Mario De La Peña, and Armando Alejandre Jr in an act of state
terrorism.
Video playlist below offers information on the Brothers to the Rescue shoot down, and the aftermath.
"To
forget the victims means to kill them a second time. So I couldn't
prevent the first death. I surely must be capable of saving them from a
second death." - Elie Wiesel
On February 20, 2020 at 7:00pm at the Cuban Embassy in Washington DC we will gather and hold a silent vigil in memory of Orlando Zapata Tamayo killed by Castro on February 23, 2010 and Armando Alejandre Jr, Carlos Costa, Mario de la Peña and Pablo Morales the four murdered by Castro on February 24,1996 when two Brothers to the Rescue planes were shot down. We invite people of good will to join us in this silent vigil for justice.
When: February 20, 2020 at 7:00pm Where: Cuban Embassy 2630 16th St NW, Washington D.C. 20009 What: Silent vigil for justice for victims of Castroism
Fact Sheet on February 24, 1996 Brothers to the Rescue Shoot down
February 24, 1996 shoot down was an act of state terrorism that blew two civilian aircraft
out of the sky with air to air missiles while in international airspace after regime planned
the act months beforehand with its espionage network in the United States. FACT 1: By definition: Terrorism is the calculated use of
violence (or the threat of violence) against civilians in order to
attain goals that are political or religious or ideological in nature;
this is done through intimidation or coercion or instilling fear)http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=terrorism FACT 2: Cuba is responsible for violating the right to life (Article I of the American Declaration
of the Rights and Duties of Man) to the detriment of Carlos Costa, Pablo Morales, Mario De La
Peña, and Armando Alejandre, who died as a result of the direct actions of its agents on the
afternoon of 24 February 1996 while flying through international airspace. Inter-American Commission on Human Rights September 29, 1999 Report on the Merits http://www.cidh.org/annualrep/99eng/Merits/Cuba11.589.htm FACT 3: Cuba is responsible for violating the right to a fair trial (Article XVIII of the American
Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man) to the detriment of the relatives of Carlos Costa,
Pablo Morales, Mario De La Peña, and Armando Alejandre, in that to date the Cuban authorities
have not conducted an exhaustive investigation with a view toward prosecuting and punishing
the perpetrators and have not indemnified those same relatives for the damage they suffered as a
result of those illicit acts. Inter-American Commission on Human Rights September 29, 1999 Report on the Meritshttp://www.cidh.org/annualrep/99eng/Merits/Cuba11.589.htm FACT 4: In Alejandre v. Republic of Cuba, 996 F.Supp. 1239 (S.D.Fla. 1997), a federal district
court awarded the families of three of the four occupants of the “ Brothers to the Rescue” planes
shot down by Cuba in 1996 a total of $187.7 million in damages against Cuba. Lawsuits Against State Supporters of Terrorism: An Overview by Jennifer K. Elseahttp://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/crsreports/crsdocuments/RS22094_06232005.pdf FACT 5: WASP spy network was involved. One of the “illegal officers” (Gerardo Hernandez)
was convicted of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder based on his role in the February 24,
1996, shoot-down of two unarmed civilian aircraft in international airspace by Cuban Air Force
jet fighters, which resulted in the deaths of four people, three of them U.S. citizens. Department of Justice on Obama Commutations http://www.justice.gov/pardon/obama-commutations#dec152014 FACT 6: Brothers to the Rescue had spotted and saved thousands of rafters in the Florida Straits
and was engaged in such a mission on that day. The one plane that skirted the boundary briefly
was the only one to return. The other two were shotdown miles away from Cuba’s boundary
having never entered or touched it on that day and the planes had been in contact with the Cuban
tower throughout the flight. ICAO Resolution on February 24 shootdown http://www.icao.int/icao/en/nr/1996/pio199606_e.pdf FACT 7: On July 26, 1996 the United Nations Security Council: "Noting that the unlawful
downing of two civil aircraft on 24 February by the Cuban Air Force violated the principle that
States must refrain from using weapons against airborne civil aircraft, the Security Council this
afternoon condemned such use as being incompatible with the rules of customary international
law " ICAO Resolution on February 24 shootdown http://www.icao.int/icao/en/nr/1996/pio199606_e.pdf FACT 8: Ana Belen Montes, the US intelligence community's top analyst on Cuban affairs had
throughout a sixteen-year career at the Defense Intelligence Agency sent the Cuba intelligence
service sensitive and secret information and helped to shape US opinion on Cuba. Investigation
against her was triggered by her odd behavior before and after the Brothers to the Rescue shoot
down. On September 21 2001 Ana Belen Montes was arrested and subsequently charged with
Conspiracy to Commit Espionage for the government of Cuba. Montes eventually pleaded guilty
to spying, and in October, 2002, she was sentenced to a 25-year prison term followed by 5 years
of probation. True Believer: Inside the Investigation and Capture of Ana Montes, Cuba's Master Spy http://www.amazon.com/True-Believer-Inside-Investigation-Capture/dp/1591141001 FACT 9: On December 27, 2010 and again in a January 19, 2011 clarification the defense of
Cuban spy-master Gerardo Hernandez acknowledged that "there was overwhelming evidence
that the 1996 shoot-down of two Brothers to the Rescue planes occurred in international
airspace, not Cuban territory." The Miami Herald: Cuban spymaster now claims Brothers to the Rescue shooting was outside
Cuban airspace by Jay Weaver December 27, 2010 http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2010-12-27/news/fl-cuba-spy-20101227_1_cuban-government-gerardo-hernandez-jose-basulto FACT 10: On December 17, 2014 President Barack Obama commuted Gerardo Hernandez’s two life
sentences and returned him along with two other spies jailed for crimes in the United States to
Cuba where they were received with a hero’s welcome in what is an immense propaganda victory for the Castro regime. Department of Justice on Obama Commutations http://www.justice.gov/pardon/obama-commutations#dec152014
Past FCF president featured in Heritage Foundation's Daily Caller on Brothers to the Rescue shoot down
The author at the Brothers to the Rescue event on February 24, 2016
Even before President Barack Obama’s trip to Cuba next month, his
administration has looked to rewrite the history of the Castros’ worst
crimes. An example of this was in 2014, when the Obama administration commuted the double life sentence of Gerardo Hernández.
Hernández had been in jail for conspiracy to commit murder through
his actions related to the 1996 downing of aircraft owned by the
anti-Castro nonprofit “Brothers to the Rescue.”
Brothers to Rescue is a Miami based organization, formed by Cuban exiles, which advocates against the Castro dictatorship.
The atrocities took place in 1996, when two Brothers to the Rescue planes were shot down by Cuban jets over international airspace, killing four. Two more Cuban fighters chased a third Brothers to the Rescue plane to within three minutes of downtown Key West but
failed to shoot it down. This plane returned and provided critical
information on what had occurred. If it had been shot down, the Cuban
government had a cover story in place to justify the shoot-down.
In order to carry out the attack, the Castro regime had a spy, who had infiltrated Brothers to the Rescue, initially pose as a survivor in Cuba to confirm the regime’s story. But this story imploded when the third plane made it back to Florida.
The objective of the Castro Regime was to destroyrelief organization while at the same time taking attention away from a crackdown on a national opposition gathering in Cuba.
This was happening in the midst of a warming relationship that started in 1994, between the Clinton administration and Castro that included secret joint military exercises.
Hernández was set free by the Obama administration and was returned to Cuba the same day his sentence was commuted. Two days later on Dec. 19, 2014, Obama sought to rewrite the history of the incident, stating in a press conference that “[i]t was a tragic circumstance that ended up collapsing talks that had begun to take place.”
The Cuban dictatorship planned the attack by using its spy networks in the U.S. to obtain information, which allowed the Castros to carry out this act of state terrorism while also carrying out an influence operation to blame the victims in the media coverage.
On Nov. 14, 1997, U.S. District Judge James Lawrence King found Cuba guilty in civil court
of planning the shoot down before the actual attack, and noted that
there had been ample time to issue warnings to the Brothers to the
Rescue aircraft.
A jury in criminal court presided by U.S. District Judge Joan Lenard on June 10, 2001, found Cuban spy Gerardo Hernández guilty of conspiracy to commit murder because of his role in providing information to the Cuban government on the flight plans of Brothers to the Rescue.
On Aug. 21, 2003, a U.S. grand jury indicted
the two fighter pilots and their commanding general on murder charges
for the 1996 shoot-down. Indictments were returned against General Rúben
Martínez Puente, who at the time headed the Cuban Air Force, and
fighter pilots Lorenzo Alberto Pérez-Pérez and Francisco Pérez-Pérez.
The defendants were charged with four counts of murder, one count of
conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals, and two counts of destruction of
aircraft. They are still at large.
There has been a lack of political will on behalf of the White House
to pursue justice in the premeditated murders of these four men, but the
indictments remain open.
Family members of the four killed (Carlos Costa, Pablo Morales, Mario
De La Peña, and Armando Alejandre) have pursued and will continue to
pursue justice and have concrete results for their efforts.
Unfortunately, they face an Obama administration that is trying to
downplay the actions of the hostile Cuban government.
John Suarez is a human rights activist with the Cuban Democratic Directorate.
"Something very tragic that we dreaded for a long time happened
today, " Basulto said. "We lost our first pilots." - Jose Basulto, The Miami Herald, February 24, 1996
On
February 24, 1996 between 3:00pm and 3:53pm three civilian planes from
the United States flying in international airspace were hunted by two
Cuban MiGs and two of the planes were blown to bits by air to air
missiles killing four men at 3:21pm and 3:27pm while the third plane was pursued to within minutes of the Florida Keys but made it back. On the third plane were Sylvia Iriondo, Andrés Iriondo, Jose Basulto, and Arnaldo Iglesias.
The audio below is in Spanish and is of the MiG pilots and tower hunting and killing Armando Alejandre Jr., Carlos Costa, Mario de la Peña, and Pablo Morales. The transcript is of the conversation between the Brothers to the Rescue pilots and the Cuban air traffic controller
that was taking place at the same time. It also demonstrates that the MiG pilots gave no warning as they carried out their deadly attacks that day. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in 1999 published an extensive report on the shoot down that is available online. Today at 3:00pm at Florida International University there will be a moment of silence marking the times when both planes were shot down.
Recorded on Saturday, 2/24/96 at approximately 3:00 p.m.
Pilot Jose Basulto: Good Afternoon, Havana Center. November 2506
greets you. Please, we are crossing parallel 24 in five minutes and we
will remain in your area about three to four hours.
Havana Center: Received.
Basulto: For your information, Havana Center, our area of operations
are north of Havana today. So we will be in your area and in contact
with you. A cordial greeting from Brothers to the Rescue and its
President Jose Basulto, who is speaking to you.
Havana Center: OK. Received, sir. I inform you that the zone north of
Havana is active. You run danger by penetrating that side of north
parallel 24.
Basulto: We are aware of the danger each time we cross the area south
of 24 but we are willing to do it. It is our right as free Cubans.
Havana Center: Then, we copy information, sir.
Basulto: Thank you.
Arnaldo Iglesias, passenger on Basultos plane: Do you want to shoot a
[video] closeup? Alright.
Pilot Carlos Costa: Mike (Mario de la Peqa) is staying around 82-30
(longitude).
Basulto: Take east, no, not east, but a little more, a little slanted.
Basulto: Havana Center. November two five zero six.
Basulto: Cordial greeting. We report 12 miles north of Havana
continuing our course of search and rescue eastward at this moment. A
beautiful day -- Havana looks great from where we are. A cordial
greeting to you and to all the people of Cuba on behalf of Brothers to
the Rescue.
Havana Center: Havana received.
(Several minutes pass, until some of the Brothers pilots sight Cuban
Mig fighters.)
Iglesias: They are going to shoot!
Basulto: Theyre going to shoot at us!
Sylvia Iriondo, a Basulto passenger: Theyre going to shoot at us?
Basulto: They shot at us. Is that a flare?
Basulto: We have a MiG, we have MiGs around us.
Costa: Theres a MiG in the air. Bogie in the air. Where are you?
Basulto: I know. The bogie is north of us at this time, and they
dropped a flare apparently to take reference from.
de la Peña: Seagull Charlie. Seagull Mike. (A call for response from
Costa)
de la Peña: Charlie. Mike.
Basulto: Negative.
de la Peña: Whats your position? Seagull Mike is two three three
zero, eight two two nine.
Iglesias: Were at two three two five, eight two two zero.
Iglesias: Seagull Charlie. Seagull Charlie.
Basulto: Seagull Charlie, are you with us?
Basulto: Seagull Mike, are you with us?
de la Peña: Yes sir.
(Both pilots continue attempts to contact Costa. There is no answer.)
Male voice: Oh, shit.
Male voice: Whos there?
Peña Seagull Mike. Seagull One.
de la Peña: Im here. Have you heard from Charlie?
Basulto: Negative.
Basulto: Do you see that smoke to my left?
de la Peña: I dont see anything now. I did see smoke.
Basulto: Do you see smoke below the MiG?
de la Peña: I didnt see the MiG. I saw smoke and a flare.
Basulto: I saw the MiG and I saw smoke. I dont know whether it was a
flare.
Iglesias: Yes it was a flare.
Basulto: With a chute?
Iglesias: Yes.
Basulto: Seagull Charlie. Seagull One.
Basulto: OK, were looking at another flare...another ball of smoke.
Basulto: Charlie, is that you?
Basulto: Seagull Mike.
Basulto: Seagull Mike. Seagull One.
Iglesias: Call Charlie and see if he answers.
Basulto: Seagull Charlie. Seagull Charlie.
Basulto: Seagull Mike.
Iglesias: The other thing is to try to call the Coast Guard to go
check the smoke and see what it is.
Male voice: Lets go to the boat over there.
(More attempts to get a response from de la Peña.)
Male voice: Well, it looks like we have to get the hell out of here.
Basulto: Mike. One.
Iglesias: You have everything turned off?
Basulto: (answering a query, probably from Miami center) No sir, Im
proceeding on my own navigation to Opa-locka. I have no emergency
aboard my aircraft. The emergency is with the two fallen aircraft. I
am proceeding to Opa-locka.
Basulto: (answering another query) Roger, sir, Roger. We are inbound
Opa-locka about 30 miles west of Key West at this time, and we are
reporting a possible emergency with two aircraft. The emergency is two
overdue aircraft that we think we have lost some 30 miles North of
Havana. Thats Brothers to the Rescue. Two aircraft. Smoke was seen in
the vicinity of the area where we were tracking north of us, and we
also saw two MiGs in the air
Every year since the week following the 1996 shoot-down, FCF members have joined together to hold a silent vigil at Florida International University
on February 24th between 3:21pm and 3:27pm at the times both planes
were blown up by Castro's MiGs in remembrance of Armando, Carlos, Mario,
and Pablo who gave their lives in service to others in a continuing
demand for justice. This tradition has been maintained for the past 19 years and this year on Wednesday, February 24, 2016 at 3:21pm we will
gather with the families of the four martyrs to mark 20 years.
What: Vigil for BTTR shoot down victims
When: Gather @ 3pm Vigil starts 3:21pm on Wednesday, February 24
Where: Main Fountain
Florida International University
11200 South West 8th Street
Miami, FL
Twenty years ago on February 24, 1996 at 3:21pm and at 3:27pm two Brothers to
the Rescue planes were shot down by Cuban MiGs that launched air to air missiles in
international airspace extra-judicially executing Carlos Costa, Pablo
Morales, Mario De La Peña, and Armando Alejandre Jr in an act of state
terrorism. Video playlist below offers information on the Brothers to the Rescue shoot down.
"For the dead and the living, we must bear witness." - Elie Wiesel (1978)
Silent vigil on February 24, 2015 demanding justice for the four men in 2 Brothers to the Rescue planes killed in 1996
On December 29, 2014 in an open letter signed by past and present members of the Free Cuba Foundation it was announced that on February 24, 2015 they would be gathering at the main fountain at Florida International University. An abbreviated version of the letter was published in The Huffington Post on January 30, 2015 with title: Not in Our Name expressing deep concerns over the actions of the Obama administration on December 17, 2014.
FCF is concerned that releasing the three remaining spies, including Gerardo Hernandez
-- who was serving two life sentences, one of them for conspiracy to
murder four members of Brothers to the Rescue in exchange for Gross and
an unknown Cuban intelligence operative -- may lead to the Castro regime
murdering more innocents inside and outside of Cuba.
Two days after the new Cuba policy announcement President Obama spoke about the February 24, 1996 shoot down in terms that were factually inaccurate and called attention to his misrepresentations about what took place during that day.
FCF and its members are disturbed by the President's statement on December 19,2014 that the 1996 shoot down was not a premeditated move by Castro but a "tragic circumstance." This statement was deficient on two basic points. First of all, two planes were shot down over international airspace not one as he stated in the press conference. More importantly, the president's statement ignored documented evidence as well as court decisions and investigations by international human rights bodies that have concluded that the attack was indeed a premeditated extrajudicial execution.
Last week on February 24th the silent vigil for justice took place at Florida International University and received press coverage. This is a tradition that began in 1996 and has been continued every year thereafter remembering that the shootdown of two Brothers to the Rescue planes
on February 24, 1996, by Castro regime MiGs caused the untimely deaths of Armando
Alejandre Jr. (age 45), Carlos Alberto Costa (age 29), Mario Manuel de
la Peña (age 24) and Pablo Morales (age 29). In 2015 this silent vigil took place on the eve of President Barack Obama's visit to Florida International University for a Townhall meeting on immigration.
Miriam de la Peña, whose son Mario de la Peña, was one of the four men murdered by the Castro regime in the shoot down, spoke on camera
summarizing the events that led to her son's death and concluded by
asking President Obama: Why did he free her son's murderer who was
serving a double life sentence?
Next year will mark 20 years since this terrible crime was committed and the continued impunity surrounding the shoot down demands that we once again gather to bear witness and demand justice with this silent vigil. G-d willing, we will be there once again on February 24, 2016 from 3:21pm to 3:27pm.
Non-Violent protest at FIU on eve of President Obama’s town hall meeting
Family members, students and members of the university community will be holding a silent vigil for justice for the four victims of the February 24, 1996 shoot down. The vigil will take place at the main fountain at Florida International University located between the Charles E. Perry Bldg. (Primera Casa) and the Green Library on February 24, Tuesday from 3:21pm to 3:27pm the times both planes were shot down. Family members and students will be there beginning at 3:00pm.
Tuesday, February 24, 2015 will mark 19 years since Fidel and Raul Castro ordered Cuban MiGs to hunt and shoot down two Brothers to the Rescue planes that at the time were in international airspace killing Armando Alejandre Jr. (45 years old), Carlos Alberto Costa (29), Mario Manuel de la Peña (24), and Pablo Morales (29). A thorough international investigation carried out by the Inter-American Commission on the merits made public in 1999 concluded: that the Castro regime was legally responsible for their murders and for the lack of justice.
Successful civil lawsuits have been brought against the Castro regime by the families of the victims, but criminal prosecutions of those responsible, save one case, have not been carried out. On December 12, 2001 Gerardo Hernandez, a Cuban spy ,was sentenced to life in prison for conspiracy to commit murder for his role in providing information that led to the Brothers to the Rescue shoot down. Unfortunately, President Barack Obama on December 17, 2014 commuted his life sentence and returned Mr. Hernandez to Cuba. Families have expressed feeling misled by the United States government.
The vigil has been carried out annually since 1996 by members of the Free Cuba Foundation, a student movement founded at FIU in 1993. http://freecubafoundation.blogspot.com/
WHO: Family members of four men killed on February 24, 1996 FIU students
Members of the University Community
WHERE: Main Fountain at Florida International University
Located between the Green Library and Charles E. Perry bldg
11200 Southwest 8th Street, Miami, FL 33199
WHAT: Silent vigil for justice for the victims of the February 24, 1996 shoot down
WHEN: Tuesday, February 24 gathering at 3pm event starts at 3:21pm sharp
"There is no forgiveness for acts of hatred. Daggers thrust in the name of liberty are thrust into liberty's heart. " - Jose Marti
On February 24, 2015 at beginning at 3:21pm and ending at 3:27pm we will
be holding a silent vigil to demand justice for the four victims
of the 1996 Brothers to the Rescue shoot down that took place 19 years ago on that day, and for the studentsmurdered by agents
of the Maduro puppet regime in Venezuela last February, and finally in remembrance of Orlando Zapata Tamayo, the Cuban hunger striker
who died on February 23, 2010 after years of torture. These were acts of state terrorism.
Unfortunately, this year we will also be silently protesting the release of the Cuban spy
Gerardo Hernandez who was serving a life sentence for conspiracy to
murder Mario, Pablo, Carlos, and Armando was freed by the Obama
Administration in a trade that violated the spirit of the rule of law
and justice.
This vigil will be held were it has been for
the past 19 years at the main fountain at Florida International
University at the campus located on 107th Ave. and SW 8 St. This is an
open invitation for FIU students and members of the university
community.
"There
is no forgiveness for acts of hatred. Daggers thrust in the name of
liberty are thrust into liberty's heart. " - Jose Marti
On February 24, 2015 at beginning at 3:21pm and ending at 3:27pm we will
be holding a silent vigil to demand justice for the four victims
of the 1996 Brothers to the Rescue shoot down that took place 19 years ago on that day, and for the studentsmurdered by agents
of the Maduro puppet regime in Venezuela last February, and finally in remembrance of Orlando Zapata Tamayo, the Cuban hunger striker
who died on February 23, 2010 after years of torture.
Unfortunately, this year we will also be silently protesting the release of the Cuban spy Gerardo Hernandez who was serving a life sentence for conspiracy to murder Mario, Pablo, Carlos, and Armando was freed by the Obama Administration in a trade that violated the spirit of the rule of law and justice.
This vigil will be held were it has been for
the past 19 years at the main fountain at Florida International
University at the campus located on 107th Ave. and SW 8 St. This is an
open invitation for FIU students and members of the university
community.
On February 24, 2014 at beginning at 3:21pm and ending at 3:27pm we will be holding a silent vigil to demand justice for the four victims
of the 1996 Brothers to the Rescue shoot down that took place 18 years ago today, and for the studentsmurdered by agents
of the Maduro puppet regime in Venezuela over the past two weeks, and finally in remembrance of Orlando Zapata Tamayo, the Cuban hunger striker
who died on February 23, 2010 after years of torture. This vigil will be held were it has been for
the past 18 years at the main fountain at Florida International
University at the campus located on 107th Ave. and SW 8 St. This is an
open invitation for FIU students and members of the university
community.
"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." - Martin Luther King Jr.
Two groups of young people separated by 18 years and hundreds of miles but joined together in two fundamental ways.
First, they all decided to serve their neighbor. They took a stand.
Mario, Armando, Carlos, and Pablo were members of Brothers to the Rescue an organization that searched the Florida Straights providing life saving water and food to fleeing rafters. Brothers to the Rescue saved thousands of lives in the 1990s.
Bassil, Roberto, José Ernesto,and Génesis took to the streets to demonstrate in favor of human rights and a democratic restoration of their homeland. Millions of young people are challenging the totalitarian trend of Venezuela and at this hour are all that stand between Venezuela becoming a totalitarian dictatorship.
These eight young people took a stand to serve others.
This is one thing that they have in common. The second is that all were murdered on the orders of agents of the Castro dictatorship in the month of February.
We will remember and honor them in a moment of silence at Florida International University on February 24, 1996 between 3:21pm and 3:27pm at the main fountain.
You are welcome to join us. No speeches. No noise. Just silence and reflection during that time to honor those who took a stand to help others.
"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." - Martin Luther King Jr.
"Violence is the tool of he who does not have reason."- Leopoldo Lopez , youtube video released after his arrest on February 19, 2014
Students murdered by Chavistas during student marches
On February 24, 2014 at beginning at 3:21pm and ending at 3:27pm we will be holding a silent vigil to demand justice for the studentsmurdered by agents of Maduro and Castro in Venezuela over the past two weeks, the victims of the 1996 Brothers to the Rescue shoot down, the Cuban hunger striker who died in 2010 after years of torture and humiliation. We will also be calling for the freedom of activists in Venezuela and in Cuba who have had their homes invaded and searched by government agents without search warrants. This vigil will be held were it has been for the past 18 years at the main fountain at Florida International University at the campus located on 107th Ave. and SW 8 St. This is an open invitation for FIU students and members of the university community.
Our prayers and thoughts are with Venezuela's students as they stand up and take to the streets in defense of their freedom. We mourn with them the murders of Bassil Da Costa (age 24), Roberto Redman (age 31) both shot in the head and killed and José Ernesto Méndez (age 17) run over by a car driven by a Chavez supporter. They were all protesting the Maduro regime and the Cuban presence in the country. In one of life's tragic ironies, hours before he was killed Roberto had carried the lifeless body of Bassil and tweeted it only to be gunned down hours later by agents of the Maduro regime. Others have been grievously wounded such as Génesis Carmona (age 22) shot in head by motorized paramilitaries called "colectivos" that have been firing on the nonviolent student demonstrators is fighting for her life in a Venezuelan hospital.
Génesis Carmona: Shot in the head in Caracas on 2/18/14
For the past 55 years Cubans have suffered under a totalitarian dictatorship that has killed many in Cuba, but the regime did not limit itself to the substantial body count in the island, that included massacres of fleeing refugees, but also went abroad and assisted war criminals such as Mengistu Haile Mariam to carry out a genocide in Ethiopia in the 1970s and early 80s that went into the hundreds of thousands. Bob Marley, the legendary reggae singer, denounced the Castro dictatorship at the time.
Since the presidency of Hugo Chavez, the dictatorship in Cuba has been sending soldiers to Venezuela and reshaping the Venezuelan military along the Castro model which seeks to divide and crush dissent. In 2010, the New York Times reported on concerns raised about Cuban infiltration of Venezuela's military. The concerns were well grounded. Today, Venezuelan students are being arbitrarily detained, tortured, shot in the head, and disappeared for nonviolently demonstrating their desires for a free Venezuela. The patterns of repression are familiar to Cubans because they were designed in Havana.
Unfortunately, now we share in the month of February not only patriotic dates from the wars of independence from Spain, but also of martyrs murdered by agents of the Cuban dictatorship and the man who was selected in Havana to be the next president of Venezuela: Nicolas Maduro.
Over the past 20 years we have held silent vigils at Florida International University, first for the victims of the "13 de Marzo"tugboat massacre that took place on July 13, 1994, but beginning in 1996 in the month of February we have held a silent vigils for the February 24, 1996 Brothers to the Rescue shoot down that claimed the lives of four humanitarians: Carlos Costa, Pablo Morales, Mario De La Peña, and Armando Alejandre who sought to save the lives of rafters in the Florida Straits on the orders of Fidel and Raul Castro. On February 23, 2010, Cuban prisoner of conscience Orlando Zapata Tamayo died after a prolonged hunger strike in reaction to numerous beatings and acts of torture that drove him to that extreme protest. Right now a Cuban democratic opposition leader has been on hunger strike since February 10, 2014 protesting the abuses of the Castro dictatorship and fear for his life.
Yesterday, we heard the words of Leopoldo Lopez before turning himself over to the regime that had slandered his name and accused him of fleeing Venezuela in the previous days addressed an audience of tens of thousands who turned out to march alongside him:
"Well
brothers and sisters I ask you to continue in this fight and do not leave
the street, to assume our right to protest, but to do it in peace and
without violence, I ask that us, all of us that are here, all of the
Venezuelans that want a change, to get informed, educated, organized,
and to execute non-violent protests, the protests of masses, and the
will of souls and hearts that want to change, but without hurting your neighbor. "
There is no better way to observe the Season of Nonviolence then discovering a new nonviolent exemplar to emulate while at the same time gathering on February 24th in a silent and nonviolent demonstration demanding justice for the victims of these two regimes and freedom for Antunez and Leopoldo.
All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope. - Winston Churchill
Over the past 17 years at FIU, students, faculty and members of the community have honored and remembered Armando Alejandre Jr. (age 45), Carlos Alberto Costa (age 29), Mario Manuel de la Peña (age 24), and Pablo Morales (age 29), the 4 martyrs of Brothers to the Rescue who lost their lives on February 24, 1996 as they sought to save the lives of others over the Florida Straits.
These four men would never had another birthday. Their families would never be the same again. We honor their memory and sacrifice while at the same time continuing to demand justice.
Vigil hosted by the Free Cuba Foundation at the main fountain at Florida International University between 3:21pm and 3:27pm the times that two Brothers to the Rescue planes were destroyed by air-to-air missiles fired by Cuban MiGs as they flew through international airspace searching for rafters.
Family members and friends of Carlos Costa, Pablo Morales, Mario De La Peña and Armando Alejandre Jr. will be in attendance. This event is for FIU students and members of the FIU Community and has been held annually since 1996.
For more information on what happened 17 years ago visit here, here and here.
Three important dates are approaching: Friday, February 22nd, Saturday, February 23rd, and Sunday, February 24th
Seventeen
years ago on February 24, 1996 at 3:21pm and at 3:28pm two Brothers to the Rescue planes were shot down with air to air missiles in
international airspace extra-judicially executing Carlos Costa, Pablo
Morales, Mario De La Peña and Armando Alejandre Jr in an act of state
terrorism.
Three years ago on February 23, 2010 at 3:00pm Cuban prisoner of conscience
Orlando Zapata Tamayo died (or was extra-judicially executed) after 83
days on a water-only hunger strike. During the strike prison officials
denied him water contributing to his death which constitute both torture
and murder.
The Free Cuba Foundation today February 7, 2013 is calling on people of good
will to join us in fasting and prayer for Orlando Zapata Tamayo, Carlos
Costa, Pablo Morales, Mario De La Peña and Armando Alejandre Jr. on
February 23 and to then organize vigils and moments of silence between
the times when both Brothers to the Rescue planes were shot down at
3:21pm and 3:28pm on February 25.
Now we are announcing activities taking place in Miami, Florida and
invite you to send us news about actions that you are carrying out
around the world. Please come back to this page. We will be adding
photos and images that you can use for your own event(s).
February 22
24 hour truth squad for Oswaldo and Harold
Twitter campaign with hash tags #JusticeforHaroldandOscar #HCE #OWP #RememberHCEandOWP #JusticeForHCEandOWP to remind world on seven month anniversary of this crimes that truth and justice are still needed.
Petition drive requesting an international investigation into the deaths ofOswaldo Payá Sardiñas and Harold Cepero Escalante.
February 23
3:00pm 24 Hour Fast for Orlando Zapata Tamayo Location: Francisco Human Rights Park
9445 SW 24 Street (Brothers to the Rescue Martyrs Blvd), Miami, FL
February 24
3:00pm Mass for Carlos
Costa, Pablo Morales, Mario De La Peña and Armando Alejandre Jr.
St. John the Apostle Catholic Church 475 E. Fourth Street Hialeah, Florida
February 25
3:00pm Silent Vigil for Justice Location: Main Fountain Florida International University
11200 South West 8th Street, Miami, FL
Two important dates are approaching: Thursday, February 23 and Friday, February 24
Sixteen years ago on February 24, 1996 at 3:21pm and at 3:27pm two Brothers to the Rescue planes were shot down with air to air missiles in international airspace extra-judicially executing Carlos Costa, Pablo Morales, Mario De La Peña, and Armando Alejandre Jr in an act of state terrorism.
Two years ago on February 23, 2010 at 3:00pm Cuban prisoner of conscience Orlando Zapata Tamayo died (or was extra-judicially executed) after 83 days on a water-only hunger strike. During the strike prison officials denied him water contributing to his death which constitute both torture and murder.
One month agoon January 19, 2012Wilman Villar Mendoza was unjustly imprisoned and then allowed to die by the Castro regime because he was not known internationally. Wilman was 31 years old and a member of the human rights group UNPACU (Union Patriotica de Cuba). He began a hunger strike in AguadoresPrison on November 25, 2011 to protest his unjust incarceration and to demand his freedom. Amnesty International had declared him a prisoner of conscience and holds the Cuban regime responsible for his death.
The Free Cuba Foundation calls on people of good will to join us in fasting and prayer for Wilman Villar Mendoza, Orlando Zapata Tamayo, Carlos Costa, Pablo Morales, Mario De La Peña and Armando Alejandre Jr. on February 23 and to then organize vigils and moments of silence between the times when both Brothers to the Rescue planes were shot down at 3:21pm and 3:28pm on February 24.
Now we are announcing activities taking place in Miami, Florida and invite you to send us news about actions that you are carrying out around the world. Please come back to this page. We will be adding photos and images that you can use for your own event(s).
February 23
3:00pm 24 Hour Fast for Wilman Villar Mendoza andOrlando Zapata Tamayo
Location: Francisco Human Rights Park
9445 SW 24 Street (Brothers to the Rescue Martyrs Blvd)
Miami, FL
Raúl Arencibia Fajardo ex-preso de conciencia anuncia un ayuno de 24 horas para recordar a Orlando Zapata Tamayo el pasado 23 de febrero comenzando a las 3:00 de la tarde.
Free Cuba Foundation coordinator Neri Martinez announced a worldwide 24 hour vigil last year for Orlando Zapata Tamayo on February 23, 2011. Orlando Zapata Tamayo died two years ago on February 23, 2010 at 3:00pm after 83 days on hunger strike during which prison officials denied him water and contributed to his death. We shall be doing it again this year and tragically adding the name of Wilman Villar Mendoza.
February 24
3:00pm Silent Vigil for Justice
Location: Main Fountain Florida International University
11200 South West 8th Street, Miami, FL
Vigil will be at the main fountain at Florida International University between 3:21pm and 3:28pm the times that two Brothers to the Rescue planes were destroyed by air-to-air missiles fired by Cuban MiGs as they flew through international airspace searching for rafters. Family members and friends of Wilman Villar Mendoza, Orlando Zapata Tamayo, Carlos Costa, Pablo Morales, Mario De La Peña and Armando Alejandre Jr. will be there in spirit. This event is for FIU students and members of the FIU Community and has been held annually since 1996.
Families of Carlos Costa, Pablo Morales, Mario De La Peña and Armando Alejandre Jr. will be holding a special Mass on Friday, February 24th at 7:30pm on 16th anniversary of the shoot down. Below is the statement that they have released.
You are cordially invited to a
Eucharistic celebration
In memory of
Carlos, Armando, Mario & Pablo
Friday, February 24, 2012, at 7:30 p.m.
St. Brendan Catholic Church
8725 SW 32nd Street
Miami, Florida 33165
Celebrant: Rev. Fernando Heria
Armando, Carlos, Mario & Pablo were volunteers flying a humanitarian search and rescue mission for rafters fleeing Cuba. On Feb. 24, 1996 they were shot down by Cuban war planes over international waters in the Florida Straits.
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