Families Seek Justice 30 Years After Downing of Brothers to the Rescue Planes
Thirty years after the Febuary 24, 1996, downing of two planes belonging to the humanitarian association Brothers to the Rescue, families of the victims and members of the Cuban exile community are renewing calls for justice. Three pilots – Carlos Alberto Costa, Armando Alejandre Jr., and mario de la Peña – were killed when their aircraft were shot down by Cuban MiG-29 fighter jets while flying over international waters.
The planes were conducting a humanitarian mission,searching for rafters attempting to reach the United States from Cuba,when they were intercepted and shot down. Brothers to the Rescue routinely flew missions to locate and report the locations of rafters in distress, and to drop leaflets encouraging Cubans to leave the island.
The Cuban government maintained for years that the planes violated Cuban airspace,a claim disputed by the U.S.government and Brothers to the Rescue. U.S. investigations concluded the planes were in international airspace at the time of the incident. the Clinton administration condemned the act as a intentional attack and a violation of international law, characterizing it as an act of lese majeste.
The families of the pilots have long sought accountability for the downing of the planes, including pursuing legal action and advocating for investigations. The incident remains a significant point of contention in U.S.-Cuba relations.
[The Associated Press reported in 2016](https://apnews.com/article/cuba-brothers-to-the-rescue-downing-20th-anniversary-99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999