Fidel Castro Hands Power To Brother 8 Years Ago Today
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – On this day exactly eight years ago, Fidel Castro handed power of the communist island over to his brother Raul Castro.
Fidel Castro, who took power in a 1959 revolution, led Cuba for 48 years before falling gravely ill in July 2006. He stepped down from power on July 31, 2008 and delegated his presidential duties to Raul in what state media described as a temporary measure. However, Raul officially took power two years later and has led Cuba ever since.
Fidel nearly died in 2006 after having to go through multiple abdominal surgeries and reportedly having part of his colon removed.
In the United States, no region has been impacted more by Castro's rule than South Florida, where hundreds of thousands of Cubans have settled since he took power.
The U.S. has maintained a tight embargo against the Cuban government which, along with harsh and often failing communist policies, has helped cripple the island nation's economy. Still, Castro ruled with an iron fist and drew worldwide scorn for human rights violations.
Human Rights Watch said in 2013 that Cuba is ruled by a regime that "represses virtually all forms of political dissent."
Some thawing of the icy relationship with the United States has been attempted in the past decade.
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