The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MINREX) reported the death of Joanne Deborah Byron (Joanne Chesimard)—also known as "Assata Shakur"—an American fugitive whose extradition had been demanded from the regime for decades for the murder of a police officer in the United States in 1973.

The brief MINREX statement simply indicated that Joanne Deborah Byron died on September 25 in Havana "as a result of health conditions and her advanced age."

In 2013, Assata Shakur—a former Black Panther—became the first woman named to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) list of most wanted terrorists, and the reward for her capture was increased to two million dollars.

Born in 1947, Chesimard became one of the leaders of the Black Panther Party, a political-military organization founded in 1966 and dissolved in 1982 during Ronald Reagan's presidency (1981-1989).

In 1967, she married Louis Chesimard, but after their divorce in 1970, she changed her name to Assata Shakur and joined the organization.

On May 2, 1973, Chesimard and two accomplices executed New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster during a routine traffic stop for driving with a taillight off.

Chesimard initiated a shootout with Officers James Harper and Werner Foerster, resulting in the deaths of Zayd Shakur (accompanied by Chesimard) and Officer Foerster.

Foerster's killer was arrested, tried, and sentenced to life in prison for the crime.

In March 1977, she was found guilty on eight charges and taken to prison.

However, in November 1979, she escaped from the maximum-security prison in Hunterdon County, New Jersey.

She then lived as a fugitive in the United States for several years. In 1984, she managed to arrive in Cuba, where she was granted political asylum.

In 1998, the United States Congress unanimously demanded that Cuba extradite her, but without success.

In 2005, her name was added to the FBI's Terrorist List, with a reward of one million dollars.

A few years later, in 2013, Chesimard became the first woman named to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) Most Wanted Terrorists List, and the reward for her capture was increased.

In 2015, then-Democratic Senator from New Jersey, Bob Menendez, wrote to then-Secretary of State John Kerry demanding Chesimard's extradition.

For many years, politicians from different parties and civil society organizations urged Cuban authorities to hand over Chesimard, but the island consistently refused to return the fugitive.

Even in 2017, during the second round of Cuba-US talks on counterterrorism, numerous news outlets reported on the possibility of a potential exchange between spies and fugitives.

There was talk that the US would hand Ana Belén Montes over to Cuba, and that the island would extradite Joanne Chesimard in exchange. However, this did not happen.

In June 2017—during his first term—President Donald Trump demanded that Cuba "return fugitives from American justice, including the murder of a police officer, Joanne Chesimard."

In 2018, then-Republican Senator Marco Rubio and Democrat Bob Menéndez signed a resolution demanding the "immediate extradition" of US fugitives in Cuba, including Joanne Chesimard.

In May 2025, the US government renewed its call for Joanne Chesimard's extradition.

The case has been a point of contention in diplomatic relations between Washington and Havana for decades. While the US government insisted on her extradition, Cuban authorities maintained that she was a politically persecuted person.

Shakur's figure has been the subject of controversy. While the FBI considered her a dangerous criminal, some organizations, such as Black Lives Matter, considered her a symbol of Black resistance in the US.

Finally, the Cuban government got its way by blocking the fugitive's extradition.

It is estimated that more than 70 U.S. citizens on the run from justice reside in Cuba, including individuals designated as criminals and terrorists. Another example is the case of William "Guillermo" Morales, who was charged with the 1975 Fraunces Tavern bombing.