Cuba Archive - Case 8565

Case ID: 8565

Title: N/A

First name: Armando

Last name: Alejandre

Suffix: Jr.

Aliases: N/A

Name also reported as: N/A

Age: 45

Gender: Male

Date of Birth: Day:16 / Month:4 / Year:1950

Civil Status: Unknown

Date of death/disappearance: Day:24 / Month:2 / Year:1996

Citizenship: United States

Last known address: 7500 SW 61st St.

Last known city: Miami, Florida

Last known province-TOD: N/A

Last known province current: N/A

Last known country: United States

Location death-address: International airspace over the Florida straits

Location of death - city: N/A

Location of death province - at TOD: N/A

Location of death province - current: N/A

Location of death - country: N/A

Trial held?: No

Docket Number: N/A

Sentence details: N/A

Arrest or detention at time of death: No

Date of arrest: N/A

Imprisoned/Detained: Location: N/A

How long imprisoned/detained: N/A

Death attributed to: Castro regime

Death attribution detail: Cuban Air Force

Associated Event: N/A

Case description:

U.S. citizen and Vietnam War veteran, passenger of a civilian airplane (Cessna 337) piloted by Mario de la Peña shot down by Cuban MIG 29s over international waters while flying a humanitarian search and rescue mission for the non-profit organization “Brothers to the Rescue.” Alejandre was a volunteer spotter on the flight. Both he and Costa perished and no remains were recovered. A second aircraft of the three unarmed civilian planes flying together was also shot down, its two occupants killed. Brothers to the Rescue flew thousands of missions to spot rafters fleeing Cuba by sea, notifying the U.S. Coast Guard of their location so they would be rescued. The organization also took food, water, and clothing to rafters held in detention centers in nearby countries such as Bahamas. The Cuban government's actions were denounced by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Cuba and condemned by the International Civil Aviation Organization, which issued a report on June 27, 1996 confirming the shoot down had occurred in international airspace. The families of the victims obtained a judgment in U.S. Superior Court against the Cuban government for premeditated murder. Alejandre left a wife, 18 year-old daughter, parents, and three sisters. In July 1996, then Cuban President Fidel Castro told U.S. reporter Dan Rather, of CBS, that he had ordered the action. But, a recording (made by the official national radio station Radio Rebelde) obtained in 2006 has Raúl Castro, then Minister of Defense, telling government officials at the provincial headquarters of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) in Holguín on June 21, 1996 that he had designed the plan and personally ordered the shoot down of the two planes on the date it occurred.
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Ciudadano estadounidense y veterano de la guerra de Vietnam, pasajero de un avión civil (Cessna 337) pilotado por Mario de la Peña derribado por MIG 29 cubanos sobre aguas internacionales mientras volaba en una misión humanitaria de búsqueda y rescate para la organización sin fines de lucro “Hermanos al Rescate”.  Alejandre iba como observador voluntario en el vuelo. Tanto él como Costa murieron y no se recuperaron restos. También fue derribado un segundo avión de los tres aviones civiles desarmados que volaban juntos y sus dos ocupantes murieron. Brothers to the Rescue realizó miles de misiones para detectar balseros que huían de Cuba por mar, notificando a la Guardia Costera de Estados Unidos su ubicación para que fueran rescatados. La organización también llevó comida, agua y ropa a los balseros que se encuentran en centros de detención en países cercanos como Bahamas. Las acciones del gobierno cubano fueron denunciadas por el Relator Especial de Naciones Unidas sobre Cuba y condenadas por la Organización de Aviación Civil Internacional, que emitió un informe el 27 de junio de 1996 confirmando que el derribo se había producido en el espacio aéreo internacional. Los familiares de las víctimas obtuvieron una sentencia en la Corte Superior de Estados Unidos contra el gobierno cubano por asesinato premeditado. Alejandre dejó esposa, hija de 18 años, padres y tres hermanas. En julio de 1996, el entonces presidente cubano Fidel Castro le dijo al reportero estadounidense Dan Rather, de CBS, que había ordenado la acción. Pero, una grabación (realizada por la emisora oficial Radio Rebelde) obtenida en 2006 muestra a Raúl Castro, entonces ministro de Defensa, contándole a funcionarios del gobierno en la sede provincial del Partido Comunista de Cuba (PCC) en Holguín el 21 de junio de 1996 que él había diseñado el plan y personalmente ordenó el derribo de los dos aviones en la fecha en que ocurrió.

Sources: Conflict of Evidence:

Violation Status: Confirmed with primary source(s)

Cause of Death: - Terrorism/Attack on civilian

Occupations: - Transportation and Material Moving Occupations

External Files: N/A

Relatives in Archive: N/A

Victim Type: - Political opponent: member of opposition group

Affiliations: - Concilio Cubano Support Group

Other Victims Same Event: - Case 8566: Carlos Alberto Costa Pino - Case 8567: Mario Manuel De la Peña - Case 8568: Pablo Morales

Case Record - Armando Alejandre