Cuba announced on Friday, September 26, the death of the American revolutionary black activist Joanne Deborah Byron, known as Assata Shakur, sought by the FBI and that had found refuge in the communist island for more than 40 years.
“On September 25, 2025, American citizen Joanne Deborah Byron, aka ‘Assata Shakur’, died in Havana, Cuba, due to health problems and advanced age,” said the Ministry of Cuban Foreign Affairs in a brief press release published on its website.
Joanne Deborah Byron, also known as Joanne Chesimard and accused of killing a police officer in the United States, was 78 years old.
Former Black Liberation Army Member
The godmother of rapper Tupac Shakur, filmed in 1996 in Las Vegas, had belonged to the Black Liberation Army, an American left -wing organization that had been involved in the 1970s in the armed struggle for the cause of blacks.
Assata Shakur was accused of killing a police officer in New Jersey (Northeast), during a shooting on May 2, 1973, with two accomplices. After fleeing, she had been arrested and accused in 1977 of murder.
Sentenced to life, he managed to flee again in prison two years later.
Among the most wanted terrorists in the United States
In 2013, the US Federal Police added her to her list of the most wanted terrorists, making her the first woman to appear in this document.
It had been seen in Cuba in 1984 by the FBI, which still promised a reward of one million dollars for its location. The United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, accused the “Cuban regime” of continuing “to offer refuge to terrorists and criminals, including US fugitives.”
“We have the duty with the victims and the American people to maintain our unwavering commitment to request accounts of the Cuban regime,” added Marco Rubio, who had accompanied his message with a photo of Assata Shakur and another of the murdered police.
Source: BFM TV
