Alejandro Castro Espín

Alejandro Castro Espín (born 29 July 1965) is a Cuban political and military figure. He holds the rank of colonel in the Interior Ministry of Cuba.[1] He is the only son of Raúl Castro, the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba, and Vilma Espín, one of the main leaders of the Cuban Revolution; he is a nephew of Fidel Castro.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Castro and the second or maternal family name is Espín.
Alejandro Castro Espín
Born
Alejandro Castro Espín

(1965-07-29) 29 July 1965
Havana, Cuba
Political partyCommunist Party of Cuba
Parent(s)Raúl Castro
Vilma Espín
RelativesMariela Castro (sister)
Deborah Castro (sister)
Nilsa Castro (sister)

Biography

Alejandro was born on 29 July 1965.[2] He is the only son of the marriage between Raúl Castro and Vilma Espín (1930–2007), and brother of Deborah, Mariela and Nilsa.[3] His sister Mariela is one of the country's most prominent sexologists, and also director of the National Center for Sex Education in Cuba.

He participated in the Cuban contingent sent by his government to the Angolan Civil War, and although he did not fight on the front line, he had an accidental injury to an eye (no eye loss) during a military exercise in Luanda, Angola. This injury earned him the nickname "The One-Eyed" (Spanish: El Tuerto) among Cuban dissidents.[4]

Alejandro Castro is an engineer and has a master's degree in international relations.[5] He has also been highlighted as a researcher on issues related to defense and national security.[6]

Since his father, Raúl Castro, came to power, Alejandro has become personal assistant to the president and been involved in various political events and official visits, which has increased speculation about the possibility that he is Castro's successor as head of the Cuban regime.[7][8] He regularly writes articles in the Cuban press, and in 2009 he presented his first book, El Imperio del Terror (English: The Empire of Terror), published by the publishing house of the Cuban Interior Ministry, which explains his particular vision of the United States' interests of power in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.[9][1][6]

References
  1. Daniel Trotta (17 June 2015). "A Castro son rises in Cuba". Reuters. Havana. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  2. Pedro Schwarze (24 April 2016). "El ascenso del hijo de Raúl Castro en el régimen cubano". La Tercera (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  3. "Comentan en prensa de Vietnam reflexiones de Fidel" (Press release) (in Spanish). Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de la República de Cuba. 30 March 2007. Archived from the original on 25 August 2007. Retrieved 31 July 2010.
  4. "Alejandro Castro Espín: un fin de raza". La Gaceta (in Spanish). 18 July 2010. Archived from the original on 13 July 2011. Retrieved 31 July 2010.
  5. NYTimes profile
  6. "Artículos de Alejandro Castro Espín". CUBADEBATE (in Spanish). Círculo de Periodistas Cubanos contra el Terrorismo. 14 September 2005. Archived from the original on 29 August 2010. Retrieved 31 July 2010.
  7. "Chronicle on Cuba" (PDF) (in Spanish). FOCAL's Research Forum on Cuba. February 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-07-02. Retrieved 31 July 2010.
  8. Lüters Gamboa, Erika (4 March 2009). "Hijo de Raúl Castro integra el círculo de hierro del gobernante". El Mercurio (in Spanish). Santiago de Chile. Retrieved 31 July 2010.
  9. "Hijo de Raúl Castro publica libro sobre capitalismo y crisis de EE.UU". Prensa Web RNV (Press release) (in Spanish). 15 February 2009. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 31 July 2010.
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