Assata Shakur Dies in Cuba at 78 After Decades in Exile

Assata Shakur, born Joanne Deborah Chesimard, has died in Havana, Cuba at the age of 78, according to announcements by the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs and her daughter. Cuban officials said her death was due to health conditions and advanced age. Her daughter, Kakuya Shakur, shared on social media that her mother passed away on September 25, 2025, at approximately 1:15 p.m. local time.

Shakur was convicted in 1977 for the 1973 killing of New Jersey state trooper Werner Foerster after a traffic stop that turned violent. During the confrontation one of her companions was killed and Shakur was wounded. She denied firing the fatal shot, but she was sentenced to life in prison. In 1979 members of the Black Liberation Army helped her escape, and she later resurfaced in Cuba, where Fidel Castro’s government granted her political asylum.

For decades she remained wanted by U.S. authorities, and in 2013 she became the first woman to be added to the FBI’s list of most wanted terrorists. To her critics she was a convicted murderer who had evaded justice, while her supporters considered her a symbol of resistance to racial injustice and state violence. Her presence in Cuba fueled tensions between the United States and Cuba for many years, as American officials repeatedly requested her extradition, which was never granted.

In 1988 Shakur published her memoir, Assata: An Autobiography, in which she detailed her upbringing, political involvement, her account of the events that led to her conviction, and her life in exile. The book was widely read and became an influential work among activists.

Authorities in New Jersey have expressed regret that she died without returning to face her sentence in the United States. Supporters, meanwhile, have issued tributes, calling her life and writings a lasting influence on movements for racial and social justice.

Her passing closes a decades-long chapter that connected criminal justice, politics, exile, and activism. Shakur died in Cuba, far from the country where her case began, leaving behind a legacy that remains deeply contested.