Juanita Castro, younger sister of Fidel and Raúl, died in Miami

December 5, 2023

Juanita Castro, the younger sister of Fidel and Raúl Castro who emigrated from Cuba in the 1960s and became a critic of the island's governance, died this Monday in Miami at the age of 90.

According to local media, her death occurred in a hospital in that city, but from natural causes. Her family will not give interviews nor will a public funeral be held, according to sources close to the deceased.

At the time of her death she was accompanied by her sister Enma and other family members.

Juanita's name gained relevance following her departure from Cuba to Mexico in 1964, from where she went to the United States to work as an activist and businesswoman.

For Mexican journalist María Antonieta Collins, of the Univision network, she was "an extraordinary person the likes of which will not come again," a woman who sacrificed everything for her ideals and who left extraordinary lessons.

Likewise, the communicator recalled some of Juanita's words in reference to her brothers, who were rulers of Cuba for decades: "regarding my brothers it is not hatred of brothers or human beings, it is a total difference of opinions."

"Each person defends their point of view and I will continue defending this one, which is mine," the journalist added, recalling the words of the deceased.

Juanita, the fifth of the seven children of the Castro Ruz family, never returned to Cuba after leaving for Mexico. Before 1959, when her brothers were fighting against Batista's government, she was in charge of raising funds for the cause, and after the revolutionary movement came to power she dedicated herself to social works such as the construction of hospitals in the rural areas of the country.

According to her biography, her opposing position to the government headed by her brothers began when the policies of the emerging government started to affect the family itself.

In 2009 she published a memoir titled "Fidel and Raúl my brothers, the secret story," written together with journalist María Antonieta Collins.