In a statement on Wednesday, the PSUV rejected the warrant as lacking a legitimate legal basis and violating international law and Cuban sovereignty, while calling on Latin American and Caribbean countries to stand with Havana against what it described as mounting US pressure.
The party reaffirmed its solidarity with Cuba’s independence and its people’s right to self-determination, warning that the legal action against Castro must be viewed in the broader context of Washington’s continued efforts to isolate and weaken the Cuban government.
The controversy comes as US economic pressure on Cuba remains a central source of tension between the two countries.
The PSUV said the US economic embargo had intensified since January, placing additional burdens on the Cuban population and reinforcing concerns among Havana’s allies that Washington is seeking to deepen the island’s economic difficulties while maintaining its political and diplomatic isolation.
Against this backdrop, the Florida warrant adds another contentious chapter to the decades-long confrontation between Washington and Havana, with Venezuela portraying the case as part of a broader strategy of coercion rather than an isolated pursuit of accountability.
The warrant concerns the February 1996 downing of two civilian aircraft operated by Brothers to the Rescue, a Miami-based Cuban exile group, in an incident that killed four people.
Raul Castro was Cuba’s defense minister at the time, and US authorities allege that he played a role in authorizing the attack.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has said the state would pursue accountability for the deaths, while the warrant could expose Castro to arrest in jurisdictions willing to extradite him to Florida.
The case also carries a longstanding dispute over the circumstances of the incident.
Cuba has maintained that the aircraft entered its airspace, while the International Civil Aviation Organization concluded that the planes were flying over international waters when they were shot down.
That conflicting account remains central to the political and legal sensitivities surrounding the case, which has continued to strain relations between the United States and Cuba.
For Havana and its regional allies, the latest legal action risks further entrenching an already hostile relationship, particularly as Washington continues to rely on sanctions and other forms of pressure against the Cuban government.