Cuba marks July 26 revolution anniversary without Raúl Castro

Cuba marked the anniversary of the 26 July 1953 Moncada barracks attack on Sunday without the presence of former President Raúl Castro, who was absent from the annual ceremony for the first time in at least three decades.

No explanation was given for the absence of the 95-year-old former leader. During the rally in Pinar del Río, President Miguel Díaz-Canel read a congratulatory message from Castro to those attending.

The annual event commemorates the failed assault on the Moncada and Carlos Manuel de Céspedes barracks, led by Fidel Castro and Raúl Castro.

Although unsuccessful, the attack marked the beginning of the revolution that brought Fidel Castro to power in 1959.

Addressing supporters, Díaz-Canel criticised the United States, rejecting a recent US State Department report alleging Cuba had operated an espionage and influence network across the region.

"Every day they issue a threat against the revolution, and every week they announce a new punishment for Cuban companies and officials”, he said

The president also accused the Trump administration of increasing pressure on Cuba, saying: "Cuba is the victim of a coldly calculated genocide," and describing US policy as one of "maximum pressure" and intensified "economic strangulation."