For nearly six decades, Milagros María Suárez del Pino has been engaged in a relentless legal battle against the Cuban regime over the abduction, torture, and death of her father, Cuban-American pilot Rafael del Pino Siero. Once a close friend of Fidel Castro, Del Pino turned into a staunch adversary of the Cuban leader.
In a recent CNN en Español report, Milagros shared her father's story with the only evidence she possesses: handwritten letters, photographs, newspaper clippings, and a small flight log.
"My dad was a pilot and he left here betrayed by Fidel Castro," Milagros stated, describing her father as a loving and intelligent man through the letters they exchanged.
Rafael del Pino Siero, not to be confused with Brigadier General Rafael del Pino Díaz who defected in 1987 and now leads the Cuban Movement of Conscientious Objectors in exile, was born in Havana in 1926. He served in the U.S. Armed Forces during World War II and gained American citizenship in 1950.
He attended university alongside dictator Fidel Castro at the Faculty of Legal Sciences at the University of Havana, where they forged a close friendship. Among the documents Milagros keeps are letters signed by Castro in 1955 from Mexico, with messages like "greetings to your wife and a strong hug from your friend Fidel."
However, as Del Pino realized the communist path the so-called "Cuban revolution" was taking, he chose to sever ties with Castro. "When my dad realized what he was planning to do, he wanted to end their friendship," his daughter explained.
Legal Battle Against the Cuban Regime
According to the family, on July 25, 1959, Del Pino was lured under the pretense of a flight to pick up passengers in Cuba. "My dad left supposedly to pick up some passengers in Cuba, but it was a betrayal," Milagros recounted.
Del Pino Siero faced a military trial lasting less than nine hours, was sentenced to 30 years in prison on charges of being a U.S. spy, and was confined in Combinado del Este Prison in Havana, where he endured isolation and torture for nearly two decades.
Milagros' mother even wrote to President Lyndon B. Johnson seeking Del Pino's release, but to no avail. In 1977, just days before his expected release, he was found dead in his cell.
The Cuban authorities claimed he had committed suicide by hanging, a version the family firmly rejects. "We knew it was impossible when my mom received that call two weeks later saying he had killed himself, that he had drowned," Milagros asserted.
Seeking Justice in International Courts
The family then embarked on a long judicial struggle. In 2008, a Miami-Dade County jury held the Republic of Cuba, the Revolutionary Armed Forces, the Ministry of the Interior, and Fidel and Raúl Castro responsible, ordering compensation of approximately $260 million.
In December 2021, a Florida judge updated the judgment to $626.2 million, a sum the Cuban regime has yet to pay.
"The only way the family can have some justice is through the civil court, and that's what we did," Milagros stated. To seek compensation, the family moved the case to Spain, where since 2022, a court in Madrid has been processing the seizure of Cuban assets on Spanish soil, a path lawyers deem more feasible than in the United States.
The case gained renewed momentum this year following a federal indictment by the U.S. Department of Justice against Raúl Castro for the downing of two civilian planes from the Brothers to the Rescue organization on February 24, 1996, with charges of conspiracy to murder U.S. citizens and four counts of homicide. The Cuban regime dismisses both the Del Pino case and this process as political maneuvers.
"Now, I don't know if we'll be able to collect or not, but that's the only option the family has," concluded Milagros, who continues to fight against the impunity of the regime that, according to U.S. courts, abducted, tortured, and killed her father.
Key Legal Battle Details Against Cuba
Who was Rafael del Pino Siero?
Rafael del Pino Siero was a Cuban-American pilot who served in the U.S. Armed Forces during World War II and became a U.S. citizen in 1950. He was once a close friend of Fidel Castro but later became his adversary.
What led to Rafael del Pino's imprisonment?
Rafael del Pino was deceived into returning to Cuba under the guise of a flight mission in 1959, where he was subjected to a brief military trial and sentenced to 30 years in prison on charges of being a U.S. spy.
What has the family done to seek justice?
The family has pursued a lengthy legal battle, resulting in a U.S. court ruling ordering Cuba to pay substantial compensation. They have also moved the case to Spain to seize Cuban assets as a means to achieve justice.