Twenty seven years ago the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity Act was signed into law

Twenty seven years ago, on March 12, 1996, President Bill Clinton signed into law the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity Act, which codified sanctions on Cuba, in response to the February 24, 1996 Brothers to the Rescue shoot down.

The shoot down was a premeditated act of state terrorism carried out by agents of the Castro dictatorship in international airspace against two civilian aircraft.

The Wasp spy network, led by Gerardo Hernandez, provided information to Havana that contributed to the murders of Armando Alejandre Jr., Carlos Costa, Mario de la Peña and Pablo Morales on February 24, 1996 when their two planes were shot down by two air to air missiles fired by a MiG-29 on Fidel and Raul Castro's orders. 

Defense intelligence analyst Ana Belen Montes, who spied for Castro in the Pentagon, conducted an influence operation prior to and during the  February 24, 1996 Brothers to the Rescue shoot down. This influence operation sought to direct blame away from the Castro regime, and onto the victims, drew the attention of investigators, and led to her arrest in September 2001.