Díaz-Canel Denounces US Genocide at Cuba Revolutionary Rally

President Miguel Díaz-Canel presided over a rally in Pinar del Río on Sunday to commemorate the 73rd anniversary of the July 26, 1953, assault on the Moncada and Carlos Manuel de Céspedes barracks. During the event, Díaz-Canel condemned the United States policy of maximum pressure and economic strangulation, describing Cuba as the victim of a coldly calculated genocide. He also dismissed a report from the United States Department of State alleging that Cuba operates an espionage and influence network across Latin America.

Former President Raúl Castro was absent from the ceremony for the first time in at least three decades. While the Cuban government offered no official explanation for the absence, Díaz-Canel had previously attributed Castro's retirement to advanced age and health reasons. During the rally, Díaz-Canel read a handwritten congratulatory message from Castro to the residents of Pinar del Río.

The event took place against a backdrop of severe economic crisis, including 20-hour daily blackouts and an oil embargo imposed by Donald Trump. The absence of Raúl Castro follows a May 2026 indictment by the United States Department of Justice, which charged him with seven federal counts, including homicide and conspiracy to murder U.S. citizens, related to the 1996 downing of two Brothers to the Rescue planes.