Twitter Fidel Castro Death Rumor a 'Lie'
The latest rumor involving former Cuban leader Fidel Castro’s death has aggravated state officials on the small island nation of Cuba.
“It’s a lie, a big lie,” Fidel’s half brother Martin Castro told the Huffington Post.
The rumor that Cuba’s former 85-year-old leader died appears to have begun by a Twitter user named “Naroh” on Monday, according to Cuban state media.
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Naroh, who describes himself as a 20-year-old male living between "Asturias and Madrid" denied the Cuban state media’s claims arguing the news was a trending topic prior to his Tweet about Castro.
Naroh, however, made light of the situation tweeting, “Cuba is blaming me for killing Fidel Castro on Twitter. Can I now consider myself a Twit-star?”
Cuban state media has criticized Twitter for helping spread disinformation, arguing that the site allowed the hash tag “fidelcastro” to become a trending topic.
An article on the state-run Cubadebate website entitled, “New lie against #FidelCastro fails on Twitter,” said the rumor was spread by “people inventing things in the virtual world that even the CIA could not accomplish in real life.”
The article also noted that Fidel has achieved a world record for surviving 638 assassination attempts.
Twitter spokesperson Jodi Olson did not have any comment on the complaints emanating out of Cuba but told the Associated Press, “As you know, we don’t mediate content.”
Castro officially retired from his leadership position in 2006 following an illness that nearly claimed his life. He continues to publish opinion pieces on international affairs through his “Reflections of Fidel” column.
Castro last posted on the column in mid-November and Cuban officials have refused to comment on the health of the former leader.
