Cuba Rejects US Political Asylum To Hijacker Of Civilian Plane

On Tuesday, Cuba’s Foreign Affairs Ministry (Minrex) rejected that the U.S. granted political asylum to Cuban citizen Ruben Martinez, who hijacked a civilian aircraft in October 2022 to enter the United States illegally.

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A few days before, the Minrex issued four verbal notes to request the deportation of Martinez, whom it accused of committing an act of piracy. Cuban authorities also demanded the return of the stolen aircraft, which the National Air Services Company S.A. (ENSA) owns.

Cuba’s Vice Foreign Affairs Minister Carlos Fernandez condemned the crime before the United States Chargé d'Affaires on the Island, Benjamin Ziff, at a bilateral meeting held on Monday.

"Air piracy acts constitute offenses under several international conventions ratified by Cuba and the United States, such as the Convention on International Civil Aviation (Chicago Convention)," Fernandez stressed, adding that Martinez’s actions violated the U.S. airspace.