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| deathnumber  =1,500,000 at home <br/>500-100,000 in Angola

| deathnumber  =1,500,000 at home <br/>500-100,000 in Angola

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}}

'''Fidel Castro''' (August 13, 1926 - c. July 2006) was the brutal [[atheistic]] [[Communist]] [[dictator]] of [[Cuba]] from 1959 to 2006. '''''He was not seen and heard publicly since July 2006, when he underwent surgery for a "sharp intestinal crisis with sustained bleeding" in a Communist hospital.'''''<ref>http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/latin_america/july-dec06/castro_08-01.html</ref>  Engaging in [[liberal denial]], [[Communism|Communists]] in Cuba release grainy images of an apparently old man along with absurd quotes of Castro like this claim, "I don’t even remember what a headache feels like."<ref>http://indonesiakatakami.wordpress.com/2012/10/22/fidel-castro-publishes-article-criticizing-health-rumors/</ref>  On hot Cuban days a stand-in wearing heavy make-up and a scarf to conceal his young neck meets with foreign dignitaries, but Obama refuses to be humiliated by this Communist hoax by meeting with him. Rather than wait until [[Donald Trump]] was in power, Cuba timed its announcement of Castro's death for the slowest news moment of the year: late Friday night after [[Thanksgiving Day]], reminiscent of the release of hostages by [[Iran]] just before [[Ronald Reagan]] became president.

'''Fidel Castro''' (August 13, 1926 - c. July 2006) was the brutal [[atheistic]] [[Communist]] [[dictator]] of [[Cuba]] from 1959 to 2006. '''''He was not seen and heard publicly since July 2006, when he underwent surgery for a "sharp intestinal crisis with sustained bleeding" in a Communist hospital.'''''<ref name="pbs.org">http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/latin_america/july-dec06/castro_08-01.html</ref>  Engaging in [[liberal denial]], [[Communism|Communists]] in Cuba release grainy images of an apparently old man along with absurd quotes of Castro like this claim, "I don’t even remember what a headache feels like."<ref>http://indonesiakatakami.wordpress.com/2012/10/22/fidel-castro-publishes-article-criticizing-health-rumors/</ref>  On hot Cuban days a stand-in wearing heavy make-up and a scarf to conceal his young neck meets with foreign dignitaries, but Obama refuses to be humiliated by this Communist hoax by meeting with him. Rather than wait until [[Donald Trump]] was in power, Cuba timed its announcement of Castro's death for the slowest news moment of the year: late Friday night after [[Thanksgiving Day]], reminiscent of the release of hostages by [[Iran]] just before [[Ronald Reagan]] became president.

Fidel Castro held the posts of [[Prime Minister|prime minister]] (1959-1976) and president of the Council of State and president of the Council of Ministers (1976-2006).<ref>https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/cu.html#Govt</ref> His oppressive rule lasted almost 50 years and killed scores of thousands.  He had not been seen publicly since July 2006, when he underwent intestinal surgery, and was presumably no longer alive as of December 2009; the Communists running Cuba had no incentive to risk challenge to their power by announcing that he passed away.<ref>''[http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-215_162-1859015.html State Secret: Is Castro Dead?]'', Brian Goodman, ''CBS News'', September 22, 2009.</ref> After a long absence from the public eye, he was purportedly shown in photographs in June 2010, released by the Cuban State News Agency. In August 2010, the Associated Press had a story of a purported Castro speech to the Cuban parliament.<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/08/06/cuba-state-tv-fidel-castro-attend-parliament-meeting-time-years-1415326051/?test=latestnews</ref>  ''The fact remains there hadn't been a reputable, independent account of Castro being alive in nearly a year.'' Other authoritarian regimes, such as [[North Korea]] and [[Nazi Germany]] have also engaged in "body-doubles" and actor/impersonators to hide the death or incapacitation of despots in the past.<ref>[http://www.mahalo.com/kim-jong-il-body-doubles Kim Jong Il Body Doubles]</ref><ref>[http://www.blackraiser.com/nredoubt/identity.htm Hitler body-double]</ref> In April 2011, Castro allegedly stepped down as head of the Cuban Communist Party, but it has not been confirmed that this was not a ruse.<ref>http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=41125</ref>

Fidel Castro held the posts of [[Prime Minister|prime minister]] (1959-1976) and president of the Council of State and president of the Council of Ministers (1976-2006).<ref>https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/cu.html#Govt</ref> His oppressive rule lasted almost 50 years and killed scores of thousands.  He had not been seen publicly since July 2006, when he underwent intestinal surgery, and was presumably no longer alive as of December 2009; the Communists running Cuba had no incentive to risk challenge to their power by announcing that he passed away.<ref>''[http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-215_162-1859015.html State Secret: Is Castro Dead?]'', Brian Goodman, ''CBS News'', September 22, 2009.</ref> After a long absence from the public eye, he was purportedly shown in photographs in June 2010, released by the Cuban State News Agency. In August 2010, the Associated Press had a story of a purported Castro speech to the Cuban parliament.<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/08/06/cuba-state-tv-fidel-castro-attend-parliament-meeting-time-years-1415326051/?test=latestnews</ref>  ''The fact remains there hadn't been a reputable, independent account of Castro being alive in nearly a year.'' Other authoritarian regimes, such as [[North Korea]] and [[Nazi Germany]] have also engaged in "body-doubles" and actor/impersonators to hide the death or incapacitation of despots in the past.<ref>[http://www.mahalo.com/kim-jong-il-body-doubles Kim Jong Il Body Doubles]</ref><ref>[http://www.blackraiser.com/nredoubt/identity.htm Hitler body-double]</ref> In April 2011, Castro allegedly stepped down as head of the Cuban Communist Party, but it has not been confirmed that this was not a ruse.<ref>http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=41125</ref>

==In Power==

==In Power==

The process of obtaining permanent power was dramatic, traumatic and bloody.  From 1959 on, mass killings of dissidents were carried out as a matter of course by the infamous "''firing squads.''"  Immediately after the Communist take-over, some 2,500 army officers were rounded up and shot dead.<ref>http://www.capitalismmagazine.com/world/cuba/4455-the-real-che-guevara.html</ref>  [[Che Guevara]] reportedly stayed up late into the night signing death warrants for defenseless "reactionaries."  Tens of thousands were sent to concentration camps.<ref>Frank Calzon, Castro’s Gulag (Council for Inter-American Security, 1979).</ref>  Desperate crowds of weeping daughters and shrieking mothers were clubbed with rifle butts as they pleaded for their family members to be spared.  One of Castro's exiled opponents describes it this way:

The process of obtaining permanent power was dramatic, traumatic and bloody.  From 1959 on, mass killings of dissidents were carried out as a matter of course by the infamous "''firing squads.''"  Immediately after the Communist take-over, some 2,500 army officers were rounded up and shot dead.<ref name="capitalismmagazine.com">http://www.capitalismmagazine.com/world/cuba/4455-the-real-che-guevara.html</ref>  [[Che Guevara]] reportedly stayed up late into the night signing death warrants for defenseless "reactionaries."  Tens of thousands were sent to concentration camps.<ref>Frank Calzon, Castro’s Gulag (Council for Inter-American Security, 1979).</ref>  Desperate crowds of weeping daughters and shrieking mothers were clubbed with rifle butts as they pleaded for their family members to be spared.  One of Castro's exiled opponents describes it this way:

''"The Castro regime came to power by deception and terror, resulting in what can only be described as a state of war against the Cuban people. Executions, labor camps, forced re-locations and exile, and the imposition of a repressive military police force to exercise control over civilian society."''<ref>"Ziva" 6-8-08 Human Rights Advocacy and the Role of the Media. Babalublog http://www.babalublog.com/</ref>

''"The Castro regime came to power by deception and terror, resulting in what can only be described as a state of war against the Cuban people. Executions, labor camps, forced re-locations and exile, and the imposition of a repressive military police force to exercise control over civilian society."''<ref>"Ziva" 6-8-08 Human Rights Advocacy and the Role of the Media. Babalublog http://www.babalublog.com/</ref>

In the aftermath of the crisis, the United States maintained a strict embargo on Cuba.  As a result, Castro sought close ties with anti-American Communist states, and became dependent on aid from Moscow.  He supplied massive amounts of military aid to [[North Korea]] and especially to [[North Vietnam]], where Cuban forces allegedly helped torture American POWs during the [[Vietnam War]].

In the aftermath of the crisis, the United States maintained a strict embargo on Cuba.  As a result, Castro sought close ties with anti-American Communist states, and became dependent on aid from Moscow.  He supplied massive amounts of military aid to [[North Korea]] and especially to [[North Vietnam]], where Cuban forces allegedly helped torture American POWs during the [[Vietnam War]].

Ever eager to make trouble, Castro dispatched Che to assist the Chinese-and Soviet-backed "Simbas" of Laurent Kabila in the [[Congo]], who were "murdering, raping and munching (many were cannibals) their way through the defenseless Europeans still left in the recently abandoned Belgian colony."<ref>http://www.capitalismmagazine.com/world/cuba/4455-the-real-che-guevara.html</ref>  The [[CIA]] fought a proxy war with Communist forces in the Congo, which descended into a complex maze of chaotic maneuverings and betrayals by several major world powers.

Ever eager to make trouble, Castro dispatched Che to assist the Chinese-and Soviet-backed "Simbas" of Laurent Kabila in the [[Congo]], who were "murdering, raping and munching (many were cannibals) their way through the defenseless Europeans still left in the recently abandoned Belgian colony."<ref name="capitalismmagazine.com"/>  The [[CIA]] fought a proxy war with Communist forces in the Congo, which descended into a complex maze of chaotic maneuverings and betrayals by several major world powers.

Castro, all the while hypocritically maintaining an "anti-imperialist" political posture, would intervene extensively in the internal affairs of African nations through violence and war.  Cuban military intervention to save the Communist MPLA dictatorship in [[Angola]] from collapse led to decades of civil war that cost as many as 1 million lives.<ref>Médecins Sans Frontières, "Angola: An Alarming Nutritional Situation," August 1999</ref>  Castro also dispatched Cuban troops to fight on behalf of the Communist dictatorship in [[Ethiopia]], which killed 1.25 million people through massacre and forced starvation.<ref>Washington Post, March 18, 1978 (Ethiopia intervention); New York Times, December 14, 1994 (Ethiopia death toll).</ref>

Castro, all the while hypocritically maintaining an "anti-imperialist" political posture, would intervene extensively in the internal affairs of African nations through violence and war.  Cuban military intervention to save the Communist MPLA dictatorship in [[Angola]] from collapse led to decades of civil war that cost as many as 1 million lives.<ref>Médecins Sans Frontières, "Angola: An Alarming Nutritional Situation," August 1999</ref>  Castro also dispatched Cuban troops to fight on behalf of the Communist dictatorship in [[Ethiopia]], which killed 1.25 million people through massacre and forced starvation.<ref>Washington Post, March 18, 1978 (Ethiopia intervention); New York Times, December 14, 1994 (Ethiopia death toll).</ref>

==Death and purported sightings==

==Death and purported sightings==

In August 2006, health problems led to the appointment of his younger brother, Raul, as temporarily president and head of the Communist Party in Cuba. Political analysts believe that the appointment marks the beginning of a transition designed to maintain Communist control over Cuba after Castro's death.<ref>The Washington Post, [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/01/AR2006080100647.html For Castro, a First Step In Calculated Transition ]</ref> Castro's surgery was scheduled to repair a "sharp intestinal crisis with sustained bleeding." <ref>http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/latin_america/july-dec06/castro_08-01.html</ref>

In August 2006, health problems led to the appointment of his younger brother, Raul, as temporarily president and head of the Communist Party in Cuba. Political analysts believe that the appointment marks the beginning of a transition designed to maintain Communist control over Cuba after Castro's death.<ref>The Washington Post, [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/01/AR2006080100647.html For Castro, a First Step In Calculated Transition ]</ref> Castro's surgery was scheduled to repair a "sharp intestinal crisis with sustained bleeding." <ref name="pbs.org"/>

Bonded by their hate for the United States and capitalism, Castro and [[Venezuela]]n dictator [[Hugo Chavez]] created a close relationship. Both socialist countries have worked together on various political ventures.<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,166355,00.html</ref>   

Bonded by their hate for the United States and capitalism, Castro and [[Venezuela]]n dictator [[Hugo Chavez]] created a close relationship. Both socialist countries have worked together on various political ventures.<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,166355,00.html</ref>   

[[Ben Shapiro]] wrote:

[[Ben Shapiro]] wrote:

* What were Castro's great achievements? He presided over the economic destruction of one of the most quickly developing countries in Latin America; he arrested and imprisoned hundreds of thousands of dissidents; he caused the self-imposed exile of millions of Cubans; he watched and participated in the drowning of thousands of Cubans attempting to escape his prison island; he worked with mass murderer Che Guevara to murder political opponents. Castro was, simply put, one of the worst people in a century full of awful human beings.<ref> [http://townhall.com/columnists/benshapiro/2016/11/30/why-does-the-left-go-easy-on-dictators-n2252347 Why Does the Left Go Easy on Dictators?] - Ben Shapiro</ref>

* What were Castro's great achievements? He presided over the economic destruction of one of the most quickly developing countries in Latin America; he arrested and imprisoned hundreds of thousands of dissidents; he caused the self-imposed exile of millions of Cubans; he watched and participated in the drowning of thousands of Cubans attempting to escape his prison island; he worked with mass murderer Che Guevara to murder political opponents. Castro was, simply put, one of the worst people in a century full of awful human beings.<ref>[http://townhall.com/columnists/benshapiro/2016/11/30/why-does-the-left-go-easy-on-dictators-n2252347 Why Does the Left Go Easy on Dictators?] - Ben Shapiro</ref>

===Continued persecution===

===Continued persecution===