Former Cuban President Raúl Castro appears at military event after hospitalization

Former Cuban President Raúl Castro appeared at a military event on Saturday, marking his first public appearance since he was hospitalized for what was reportedly a serious illness. The military event was held to celebrate the anniversary of an army branch responsible for protecting its top leaders.

Cuban state television aired more than 10 minutes of footage Saturday night that showed Castro, 95, in his traditional olive-green military uniform, alongside his bodyguard and grandson, Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro. The former leader’s previous public appearance was on Aug. 13.

The broadcast also reported that Castro’s grandson had participated earlier this year in talks with the United States, which has imposed an oil and financial blockade on the island since January. The talks have since halted, while sanctions have increased in recent months.

Authorities from both nations have acknowledged that talks took place following the energy blockade, but there is neither an agenda nor any leaked details regarding these conversations.

The former president, who no longer holds any formal position in government or in the island’s Communist Party, rarely appears in public. Rumors regarding his health have recently circulated, even more so since his first absence in decades from a July rally marking the anniversary of the Cuban revolution’s biggest celebration.

Last week, reports that Castro had been hospitalized for a grave illness began to surface, drawing strong reactions from Cuban exiles and others in South Florida, CBS Miami reported. The Cuban government didn’t confirm the illness, which was reported by the Miami-based newspaper Diario Las Américas, citing a source close to Castro in Cuba. 

In June, the U.S. Department of Justice filed murder charges against the veteran leader in connection with the 1996 downing of light aircraft that belonged to an anti-Castro organization. The planes had entered Cuban airspace as part of a campaign to tighten various sanctions and apply pressure for change in the island’s political system.

Cuban TV on Saturday showed Castro walking alongside high-ranking military officials and taking a seat in the front row of an indoor venue. He stood up on several occasions to receive a commemorative certificate and greet attendees.

“It is an honor to participate alongside Army General (Raúl Castro) in the ceremony marking the 65th anniversary of the Personal Security Directorate. An agency with origins dating back well before September 6, 1961, to the days of the revolutionary struggle led by the Commander-in-Chief (Fidel Castro),” President Miguel Díaz-Canel wrote on X on Sunday morning.

His post included several photos from the event showing him together with Raúl Castro.

The U.S. energy blockade has exacerbated a five-year crisis and had a significant impact on the Caribbean nation’s population and economy, including blackouts lasting over 30 hours.