Cuba Denounces U.S. Impunity in Barbados Terrorist Crime

he bombing of a Cuban civilian aircraft with 73 people on board, which occurred 49 years ago today, was commemorated here as evidence of the U.S. government's complicity in terrorist activities against the Caribbean island. The crime, executed off the coast of Barbados, which claimed the lives of 73 people—57 Cubans, 11 Guyanese, and five Koreans—renews each year Cuba's denunciation of the impunity that still surrounds the event, despite the confessions of its perpetrators and confirming expert evidence.

Annual Pilgrimage Honors Victims, Including Fencing Team

Relatives of the victims, athletes, and the general public attended the traditional pilgrimage this Monday at the Christopher Columbus Cemetery in the capital to pay tribute to the victims of the attack, which killed 24 members of the Cuban youth fencing team. The young athletes were returning home with the satisfaction of having won all the titles at stake in the Central American and Caribbean Championship for the discipline.

Cuba does not forget those lost in the atrocious murder because they are the legacy of hope and justice, stated the General Secretary of the Food Industry and Fishing Union, Jorge Luís Fajardo, speaking at the event before Havana's highest authorities and those of the National Institute of Sports, Physical Education, and Recreation (Inder). The leader also evoked the statement by the historical leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, during the funeral: "…We cannot say that the pain is shared. The pain is multiplied. Millions of Cubans weep today alongside the loved ones of the victims of the abominable crime. And when an energetic and virile people weep, injustice trembles!"

U.S. Complicity and Perpetrator Impunity Alleged

According to investigations, terrorists of Cuban origin Luis Posada Carriles (1928-2018) and Orlando Bosch Ávila (1926-2011), operating in the service of U.S. intelligence agencies, designed the plan for the mass murder. Meanwhile, testimonial evidence points to Freddy Lugo and Hernán Ricardo as the material authors of the tragic event, and to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) as the financier and protector of its terrorist agents, who received the favor of U.S. justice through rigged trials, questionable acquittals, and unfulfilled sentences.