Remembering and honoring Armando Alejandre Jr., Carlos Alberto Costa, Mario Manuel de la Peña, and Pablo
Morales.
Silent vigil for justice today at Florida International University (Photo Alvaro Mata)
Family members, students and
members of the university community held a silent vigil for justice
for the four victims of the February 24, 1996 shoot down. The vigil took place at the main fountain at Florida International University located between theCharlesE.PerryBldg. and
the Green Library on February 26, Monday
from 3:21pm to 3:27pm the times both planes were shot down. Family members and
students began to gather at 3:15pm.
Family members hold vigil at FIU for their loved ones. (Photo: Alvaro Mata)
2018 marks 22 years since Fidel and
Raul Castro ordered Cuban MiGs toshoot down two Brothers to theRescue 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 for Human Rights on the merits made public in 1999 concluded:that the
Castro regime was legally responsible for their murders and for the lack of
justice.
Students, staff, and members of the FIU community took part in the vigil today.
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 totheBrotherstotheRescueshoot 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.
Former prisoner of conscience Regis Iglesias, together with family, friends at vigil
Among the attendees today was Regis Iglesias Ramirez, spokesman of the Christian Liberation Movement and former prisoner of conscience, who paid his respects to the victims and their family members.
Regis Iglesias Ramirez pays his respects to the four martyrs
On Saturday, February 24, 2018 in Cuba several opposition activists were detained while attempting to pay homage to the victims of the 1996 Brothers to the Rescue shoot down.
13 days to spread the word, organize, and take peaceful action. Less than two weeks to raise awareness and organize activities and take peaceful
action in the service of truth, memory and reconciliation.
Four men were killed when the two planes they were flying in were shot down
on a Saturday afternoon at 3:21pm and 3:27pm on February 24, 1996 over
international airspace while engaged in a search and rescue flight for
Cuban rafters. Their planes were destroyed by air-to-air missiles fired by a Cuban MiG-29 aircraft on the orders of Raul and Fidel Castro.
At Florida International University we will join hands for the 20th time at the main fountain on Modesto A. Maidique Campus as we
have done for the past 19 years in a silent vigil spanning the
time when two civilian planes were shot down over international airspace at 3:21pm and 3:27pm on February 24 ending the lives of Mario Manuel de la Peña (age 24), Pablo Morales (age 29), Carlos Costa (age 29), and Armando Alejandre Jr. (age 45) .
Please let us know if you plan to hold an event on your campus. We
will be compiling a list of campuses that will be holding a six minute
silent vigil on February 24 between 3:21pm to 3:27pm.
Invite your friends to examine the evidence, and to let others know what happened 20 years ago on February 24, 1996.
The Free Cuba Foundation
AUDIO/VIDEO EVIDENCE
At dramatic meetings of the UN Security Council, the US has shared
one of its most prized possessions, secret intelligence. [...] In 1996,
the US played recordings of radio conversations between the Cuban
interceptor pilots and the ground 1996 as they shot down two Brothers to the Rescue
in a premeditated attack. Such electronic eavesdropping is achieved
through specialized and top secret satellite and airborne surveillance
platforms.
Before all the details were revealed Fidel Castro took responsibility
for the shoot down but later backed off with other Cuban officials
saying it was a terrible accident. The facts state otherwise. Here is
the video of the interview. http://hermanos.org/Movies/Fidel%20Castro%20Admite.mov (In Spanish)
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
Cuban Memorial at Tamiami Park (Next to Florida International University)
Time for students to again stand up for
freedom in Cuba and to denounce the freeing of Gerardo Hernandez, a
Cuban spy responsible for four deaths who was serving a life sentence for conspiracy to commit murder. Sign this petition and take
part in a vigil to protest the Obama-Castro pact at the Cuban Memorial in
Tamiami Park on Thursday, January 22 beginning at 5:00pm organized by the Cuban Resistance Assembly, of which the Free Cuba Foundation is a member.
Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. was born 86 years ago today on January 15,
1929 in Atlanta, Georgia and was assassinated on April 4, 1968 at the age of
39. Today we remember his words: "In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."
What: Vigil to protest the Obama-Castro Pact When: Thursday, January 22, 2015 starts at 5pm Where: Cuban Memorial, Tamiami Park 11201 SW 24 Street, Miami, FL (Next to FIU) Who: Organized by the Cuban Resistance Assembly
“Don't raise your voice, improve your argument." - Desmond Tutu
The argument has been made and the reports written and the guilt of the Castro regime established by international human rights bodies such as the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, but twenty years later there is still no justice.
The argument has been made and cannot be improved. Screaming and shouting in a world full of noise will not achieve justice and undermines the seriousness of this crime. We are supporting all nonviolent actions that respect the dignity of those killed, and their families.
Please share and encourage friends wherever
they are on July 13, 2014 at 3:00pm to join in a 20 minute moment of
silence. Gather in a group or individually and take a photo at the end
of the vigil holding up the above image calling for justice. The quote in the picture above is taken from Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
report: REPORT Nº 47/96 CASE 11.436 VICTIMS OF THE TUGBOAT "13 DE MARZO" vs. CUBA October 16, 1996 and is available online: http://www.cidh.org/annualrep/96eng/cuba11436.htm)
We will be updating this site in the next few days with a list of planned activities to remember this terrible crime, pray for the victims and continue to demand justice.
The persons killed on July 13, 1994 in the "13 de Marzo" incident are:
Leonardo Notario Góngora, Marta Tacoronte Vega, Caridad Leyva
Tacoronte, Yausel Eugenio Pérez Tacoronte, Mayulis Méndez Tacoronte, Odalys Muñoz García, Pilar Almanza Romero, Yaser Perodín Almanza, Manuel
Sánchez Callol, Juliana Enriquez Carrasana, Helen Martínez Enríquez, Reynaldo Marrero, Joel García Suárez, Juan Mario Gutiérrez García, Ernesto Alfonso Joureiro, Amado Gonzáles Raices, Lázaro Borges Priel, Liset Alvarez Guerra, Yisel Borges Alvarez , Guillermo Cruz Martínez, Fidelio Ramel Prieto-Hernández, Rosa María Alcalde Preig, Yaltamira
Anaya Carrasco, José Carlos Nicole Anaya, María Carrasco Anaya, Julia
Caridad Ruiz Blanco, Angel René Abreu Ruiz, Jorge Arquímides Lebrijio
Flores, Eduardo Suárez Esquivel, Elicer Suárez Plascencia, Omar
Rodríguez Suárez, Miralis Fernández Rodríguez, Cindy Rodríguez
Fernández, José Gregorio Balmaceda Castillo, Rigoberto Feut Gonzáles, Midalis Sanabria Cabrera
Silent Vigil for Justice on February 24, 2014 between 3:21pm and 3:27pm
On February 24, 2014 starting at 3:21pm and ending promptly at 3:27pm there was a moment of silence for the 1996 Brothers to the Rescue shootdown that claimed the lives of Armando, Carlos, Mario and Pablo. This year we once again recognized and honored prisoner of conscience Orlando Zapata Tamayo who died on hunger strike on February 23, 2010.
Tragically, over the past two weeks at least 12 Venezuelan students have been murdered by agents of the Maduro regime in Caracas which is a puppet of the Castro regime in Havana. Therefore today we also prayed for them all and specifically for Bassil, Roberto, José Ernesto,and Génesis. We recognized their sacrifice and prayed for justice.
Following the vigil Miriam de la Peña whose own son, (Mario de la Peña) was murdered by the
Castro regime spoke about the violence taking place against the students in Venezuela.
Below is a copy of the flier we distributed on campus:
The Ladies in White, through theirrepresentationin the UnitedStates,call forthe media, thecommunity andtheir organizations to participatein a meeting-vigil tohonor the memory ofLaura Pollán Toledoandthe martyrs andvictims of Castro's tyranny for 54 yearsoftotalitarianisminCuba.
At the meeting-wakeparticipate askeynote speakerthemovement's leader,BertaSolerwhowill bein the city ofMiami for two days . During the eventthe mayor ofCoralGablesJamesCason will deliver thekey to the citytoMs.Solerandwill welcome herto this community.
SaturdayApril 27, 2013, 5:30-7:30 pm, MerrickPark,from the City ofCoralGables, Le JeuneRdandMiracleMiles.
Also, onApril 28, 2013BertaSoler will participate in a Mass at12:00 noonat Our Ladyof Charitytoprayfor the souls ofthe martyrs of theCuban Resistanceand the futureof the island,and will beofficiated by FatherJuan Rumín Domínguez, rector ofOur Lady of Charity.
Contact: Yolanda Huerga, representative of the Ladies in White in the United States (786)302-4537
Today, Wednesday October 5, 2011 in Miami, Florida there will be a vigil held in demand for the immediate and unconditional release of Sara Marta Fonseca Quevedo and her husband Julio Ignacio Leon Perez, as well as for all Cuban prisoners of conscience.
The event will be held just outside of Versailles Restaurant next to the take out window in the front. It is located at 3555 Southwest 8th Street Miami, FL 33135-4196. The vigil will begin at 8:00 pm and is being sponsored by the Cuba-freedom organization ‘Plantados Hasta la Libertad de Cuba’.
The event is open to all people of good will, in order to demand freedom for all those Cubans who have been imprisoned for defending freedom and human rights. More information can be found on the Facebook page created for this event.
The Cuban Democratic Directorate reported that "at approximately 6:00pm on September 24, as Resistance members prepared to engage in a nationwide pots and pans protest scheduled for that night" when state security agents organized a repudiation rally outside the home of Fonseca Quevedo, where several activists were attacked, beaten, and detained. Among these were: Sarah Marta Fonseca Quevedo, her husband Julio Ignacio León Pérez, Jorge Luis García Pérez “Antúnez”, Hermógenes Inocencio Guerrero Gómez, Ramsés Miranda Camejo and Eriberto Liranza Romero.
Hablemos press captured the act of repudiation and the attacks on Sara Martha by two attackers. First by an unidentified man who charged at her and secondly by a woman who started hitting her from the back. She managed to evade her attackers only to see that her husband had been knocked to the ground and was being kicked in beaten by a group of state security agents. She runs over to try and break it up, but instead is detained and badly beaten.
The situation of the dissident couple continues to be grim, considering that they have been behind bars since Saturday, September 24th and have remained in hunger strike since then. ‘Julito’ Fonseca, the eldest son of Fonseca and Leon, informed a few days ago that he was able to see his mother who, according to him, had many marks of physical blows but had remained very firm in her convictions against the tyranny, choosing to maintain her hunger strike until she is freed. Meanwhile, it has been reported that his father was interned in the Carlos Finlay Hospital of Havana, due to a drop in sugar levels and other health ailments, products of a severe beating and also a hunger strike.
Today marks one week since the people of Norway were attacked by a home grown terrorist that set off a massive bomb in downtown Oslo and went on a shooting spree on the nearby island of Utøya that caused the deaths of at least 77 and the injuring of many more Norwegians. Today in Norway they began to bury their dead.
Tomorrow in Miami [ at 2:00 pm Saturday, July 30] we will hold a silent vigil for the victims of the Norwegian terror attacks at the Torch of Friendship located at 301 North Biscayne Boulevard Miami, Florida. We ask that you bring a red or white rose in memory of the victims of these heinous attacks.
The month of July is a difficult one for Cubans and Argentinians because of terror attacks that took place on July 13 and July 18, 1994 respectively claiming scores of victims. The first the "13 de Marzo" tugboat sinking was an act of state terrorism and the second the bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center.
Mohandas Gandhi spoke a profound truth when he observed that "Terrorism and deception are weapons not of the strong but of the weak." In addition to being weak it is also a profoundly evil act that needs to be denounced wherever it takes place.
