From the Office of the President, Florida International University
Today, we stand at the precipice of justice and accountability.
The indictment of Raul Castro and five codefendants for the murder of four members of our community is long overdue.
At FIU, this hits close to home, as we have longstanding relationships with the families of the four men killed, while flying humanitarian missions with Brothers to the Rescue. Armando Alejandre Jr., Carlos Costa, Mario de la Peña and Pablo Morales were shot down on February 24, 1996 in international airspace. The precious lives lost on that fateful day were fathers, sons, brothers, nephews, but more than that, they were defenders of freedom.
These men represented the courage, conviction and sacrifice that have defined generations of Cubans who refused to surrender the dream of freedom.
Our College of Law is home to the Carlos A. Costa Immigration and Human Rights Clinic. And fittingly, the U.S. Attorney who secured the indictment is Jason Reding Quiñones, the son of a Cuban exile and a proud graduate of the FIU College of Law.
The legacy of the four civilians murdered by the Cuban regime continues, and freedom for the island feels closer than at any time since 1959. At FIU, we are ready to support in the transition to a free and democratic Cuba. We are uniquely positioned to lead through a wide and deep bench of experts in every facet of the immense challenges ahead.
Through our Democratic Transition Initiative, announced earlier this year, we are bringing together scholars and experts in economics, medicine, public health, the environment, education, technology, infrastructure, security, engineering, art, law, governance and civil society – among other areas – to help steer Cuba toward freedom.
We will leverage and scale all internal resources across our colleges, schools, and centers, including the Adam Smith Center for Economic Freedom, the Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy, the Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs, the Institute for Cuban Studies, FIU in Washington, D.C., our College of Business, and CasaCuba, as well as countless assets throughout the state and nation that we can bring to bear.
This work will not be easy. The rebuilding of democratic institutions never is.
But history reminds us that even after six decades of authoritarian rule, repression, and economic hardship, freedom can emerge when truth endures, justice advances, and people refuse to abandon hope.
At FIU, a university deeply connected to the Cuban American community, we remain committed to pursuing truth and promoting freedom. We applaud the actions of the U.S. Department of Justice, and we honor the memories of those lost. We firmly believe the Cuban people deserve a future filled with optimism and opportunity — and we stand ready to help build it.
