PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. — Alina Fernández, the daughter of Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro and niece of former Cuban President Raúl Castro, says a recent U.S. indictment against her uncle represents what she called “the end of impunity” for Cuba’s leadership.
Fernández spoke exclusively with Local 10 News on Saturday, offering a personal perspective on escalating tensions between the Cuban government and the Trump administration.
“Being part of that family, this moment weighs in a very different and personal manner,” Fernández said. “But everybody’s been waiting for justice. I think that more than justice, this indictment means the end of impunity for the Cuban regime.”
She said Cuban leaders have long operated without fear of consequences.
“For years and years and years they have been acting like nothing will happen to them, that there were no consequences,” she said. “They have been hostile to this country since the beginning of the revolution, for almost 70 years. So it was about time.”
Fernández, who left Cuba in the 1990s and now lives in Miami, has long been a critic of the island’s government.
During the interview, she was asked about the feasibility of bringing a 94-year-old Raúl Castro to the United States to face charges tied to the 1996 downing of two civilian planes operated by the Miami-based humanitarian group Brothers to the Rescue.
The attack killed four people, including three Americans, during a mission aimed at assisting Cubans fleeing the island.
“I don’t think this maneuver is as much about justice as the end of accountability,” she said. “It puts certainly a lot of pressure on the regime, a lot. It’s the first time they have been accused of something this serious.”
She added that while she does not believe extradition is realistic, she sees the indictment as symbolically significant.
“I don’t think it’s going to be an easy process,” Fernández said. “It’s not going to be easy, and I don’t think it’s really doable to bring a 95-year-old person to a court in the United States. That seems to be impossible. But I don’t really know the plans of this government. They amaze and surprise every day.
Fernández also addressed uncertainty surrounding U.S. policy toward Cuba, including shifting rhetoric on possible military intervention and diplomacy.
“I think that this is the 14th presidency since the Cuban regime is in place and none of them have known before how to deal with the Cuban government,” she said. “So let’s see if this one does.”
She said change in Cuba will likely not come easily from within.
“I’m convinced that a dictatorship needs a little push to get established and needs a little push to be taken away,” Fernández said. “I don’t think the Cuban population can deal with it by itself. It’s not banging in casseroles that you’re going to get rid of a regime that has been in place for 70 years.”
When asked about the emotional toll of the situation, Fernández said her feelings fluctuate.
“It’s complicated. It’s a lot of mixed emotions,” she said. “One day I’m hopeful, one day I’m depleted of whatever joy the freedom of Cuba can bring us.”
She said what troubles her most is the state of the country after more than six decades under communist rule.
“To see what the country has become after 67 years of this regime is falling apart,” she said. “Cuba hasn’t had electricity since the fall of the Soviet Union. We’ve been a subsidized country. Russians provide oil, then the Chinese, then Venezuela.”
Fernández also discussed a documentary about her life, The Revolution’s Daughter, which features stories from Cuban exiles.
“It’s a compilation of some exiles’ experiences and personal stories,” she said. “It’s very intimate and personal and it makes you understand how we feel and why we feel this way.”
She ended the interview urging viewers to better understand the Cuban exile experience.
“I just have to try to learn more about the Cuban experience,” Fernández said. “These days, everybody is so radicalized into a point of view without getting deeper into reality. I ask people to try to understand us — why we feel this way.”
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