Castro Purges Party on Video

By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 15, 2009 6:32 AM CDT
Castro Purges Party on Video
Raul Castro, right, stands with Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque during a 2007 session of the National Assembly in Havana. Roque was abruptly removed from power earlier this year.   (AP Photo/Javier Galeano, File)

Raul Castro firmly ratchets up his grip on power in a three-hour video being shown to Cuba's Communist Party members, the Financial Times reports. The video features scenes from a March politburo meeting during which Castro fired most of Fidel's cabinet, along with testimony from security officials. Those who have seen it say the message is plain: Raul is laying down the law and won't tolerate a hint of disloyalty.

In the video, Raul reads aloud from the confession of a trade envoy arrested for spying, and details his connections to several of Fidel's protégés. Chief among them is Raul Castellanos Lage, a former party leader accused of being part of a clique that considered Cuba's elderly leaders unfit to govern. Audience members at several screenings rose from their seats to demand the men be shot for treason, according to witnesses. (More Fidel Castro stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X