Trump calls Castro a “brutal dictator”

In a statement issued on Saturday, Donald Trump said that death of Fidel Castro represents the death of a “brutal dictator who oppressed his people for nearly six decades”.

“Fidel Castro’s legacy is one of firing squads, theft, unimaginable suffering, poverty and the denial of fundamental human rights,” read a statement issued by the US President-elect.

He said that while Castro’s legacy cannot be erased, his administration will do all it can to ensure the Cuban people can finally “begin their journey towards prosperity and liberty”.

Trump said that while Cuba remains a totalitarian island, the death of Castro marks a move away from the horrors of the past and towards a future in which the people live in freedom.

In contrast, President Obama was more diplomatic in his message and offered condolences to Fidel Castro’s family and extended “a hand of friendship” to the Cuban people.

“History will record and judge the enormous impact of this singular figure on the people and world around him”, Obama said.

The Obama administration restored diplomatic relations with Cuba in July 2015, which had been severed in 1961.

Speaking at a rally in September Trump had said that he would not exclude rolling back the policy reforms on Cuba over concerns of religious freedom in the country and political prisoners detained by the Caribbean state.