This event received a lot of attention for several reasons: 1) Daniel gave awards to university student leaders who led protests in the past, but have opposed the current protests, and to two university presidents who have been loyal to him, in the face of the student led uprising that continues today, whom he continues to call coup mongers, terrorists, criminals. Those receiving awards included Fidel Moreno, who was explicitly named by the US as a subject of the Magnitsky Act.  2) for the first time Daniel publicly called his brother, Humberto Ortega, a “pawn of the oligarchy and the empire.” 3) The day after the Bishops released their Advent message that calls for reconciliation based on justice and peace, he says that the Bishops “act with a criminal, terrorist mentality”. All of this within the context of the recent Executive Order of Trump expanding economic sanctions to anyone who is “involved in serious human rights abuses” in Nicaragua.

 President Daniel Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo at the Closing of the XVI Congress of the UNEN[1]

Published on Dec 3, 2018 en the official online media of the FSLN, El 19 Digital

{Spanish version: https://www.el19digital.com/articulos/ver/titulo:84742-presidente-daniel-ortega-y-vicepresidenta-rosario-murillo-clausuran-xvi-congreso-de-la-unen ]

The President of the Republic, Comandante Daniel Ortega Savaadra and Vice President Rosario Murillo, presided Monday night at the closing of the XVI Congress of the National Student Union of Nicaragua (UNEN).

During the event President Daniel Ortega conferred the Rubén Darío Cultural Independence Order on outstanding student leaders, outstanding union leaders of the Universities, and Women University Presidents.

Commitment to victory

Vice President Rosario Murillo, at the beginning of the event, recalled that the coup mongers “were not able nor will be able…and shall not pass, shall not pass” in the midst of the thundering applause of those present.

“Here we are full of love for the homeland, love for Nicaragua, here there is loyalty to the homeland, here there is loyalty to the homeland”, she said.

“And it is in this commitment to victory that we are meeting, each day walking forward, building new victories, because here, as Darío said, a sun shines on us that will never set”, she added.

“And that sun shines already on new victories. We are heading to the 40^th anniversary of the triumph of the Revolution, and we move forward and walk cultivating and harvesting more victories, but in addition, this month of December we are going to commemorate 40 years of the physical departure of the Sandinista priest, guerrilla fighter, commander Martín, commander Father Gaspar García Laviana, and I ask here for a big applause of commitment to the legacy of Gaspar, who flew the flag, made Nicaragua his home and was committed to the poor, to the underprivileged, to the worker down to his last breath, and left us an infinite legacy”, she exhorted and an enthusiastic applause rocked the hall of the Olof Palme.

“Continue struggling, continue flying the flag, because as long as Nicaragua has sons and daughters that love Nicaragua, it will continue being free, worthy of dignity, sovereign, independent. We will continue being children of Sandino”, she emphasized.

Rosario Murillo greeted the brother ambassadors from Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia, El Salvador and Iran.

“Our brother ambassadors, friends of Nicaraguan students, comrades, companions, thanks for accompanying us”, she commented.

We are the same

“I was looking at the faces of the companions and I say, I am sure, those of us of that time, we continue being the same, ready to take on all the commitments to fight and win each day. What a pleasure it gives me to see so many dear companions, of so much time of struggle, enhancing today´s victories from the commitment to fight, fight, fight, this is our battle cry”, she pointed out.

“Comandante Daniel, as we announced at noon today, giving out awards to University presidents, student leaders, workers, union members, union leaders of our universities, recognizing loyalty to the homeland, love for the homeland, love for Nicaragua and loyalty for the homeland. This is how we move ahead in revolution”, she said.

In what follows she read the 173-2018 Presidential Agreement which says:

Our President, considering that this year, 2018, is the Centennial Anniversary of the Reforms of Córdoba, and that our National University has been committed and faithful in the fight to achieve the materialization of its principles and postulates, quality education, the conquest and defense of University Autonomy, Higher Education available to all, particularly for the historically dispossessed classes, as well as the development and strengthening of a University at the service of the people.

Two, we are at the 59^th Anniversary of the student massacre of July 23^rd in León, where the university students José Rubí, Mauricio Martínez, Sergio Saldaña and Eric Ramírez gave their valuable lives, how much heroic history, how much heroic patrimony, how much legacy that it is up to us to walk each day.

How much pride in our coherency, our consistency, our invincible revolutionary spirit. This marked a high point in the history of the struggle of our people for their liberation, fight against the Somoza dictatorship.

That in the fight for the conquest and defense of the constitutional 6%, firmly assured today by our Government for National Unity and Reconciliation, was an inspiring element of courage, of resistance of our people against neoliberalism in the terrible decade of the 90s to safeguard the rights of the children of workers and peasants to higher education.

That the unions of university teachers have more than four decades of being founded, and that as historical reference points we have the lives offered of heroic brothers, Sandinista militants like Dr. Oscar Danilo Rosales, fallen in Pancasán, a professor of the School of Medical Sciences of the UNAN-León.

The professor and revolutionary leader Ricardo Morales Avilés, member of the National Leadership of the Sandinista Front, fallen in Nandaime; the professor of the UNAN –Managua, Sandinista comandantes Iván Montenegro Chávez, fallen in the final offensive against the dictatorship, professor of Science at the UNAN-León and later the professor Miguel Bonilla, fallen in Managua, professor of the UNAN-Managua.

Five, that the unions of workers have contributed the blood of their best sons, their best companions, to overthrow the Somoza dictatorship, among them we have Alí Abarca Meléndez, Santos Sobalvarro, Edmundo Maltés and Juan Ramón Padilla.

It is agreed then to grant the Rubén Darío Cultural Independence Order, to the unions of the universities in the persons of two outstanding leaders, Maritza Espinales, compañera Maritza, since 2001 the Secretary General of the Union of Administrative Workers of the public universities, and currently a deputy in the National Assembly of Nicaragua, Vice President of the National Assembly.

To the Sandinista intellectual Compañero Freddy Franco, not just a union member, since 2005 the Secretary General of the Teachers Union of the public universities, and president of the Federation of University Unions of Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean. Currently an alternative deputy in the National Assembly of Nicaragua.

This agreement takes effect starting on this date.

THE RUBEN DARIO CULTURAL INDEPENDENCE ORDER

“The workers of the universities in the person of these two long-standing, coherent, consistent, long suffering compañeros progressing to new victories, Maritza and Freddy”, she pointed out.

Then she read the Presidential Agreement No. 172-2018.

The President of the Republic considers that the Nicaraguan Student Movement reveres 104 years of existence in our country.

From its origins accompanying the Nicaraguan people in their struggles and aspirations for freedom, emancipation, peace and development.

Two, this year that celebrates the Centennial of the reforms of Córdoba, and our National University has been committed and faithful to the struggle for the materialization of the principles and postulates of the Reforms of Córdoba, quality education, the conquest and defense of Autonomy, higher education accessible for all and particularly for the historically dispossessed classes, as well as the development and strengthening of a University at the service of the people.

And that we are in the 59^th Anniversary of the massacre of July 23^rd in León, and that the fight for the conquest and defense of the 6% today with our Christian, Socialist and Solidarity Government has firmly assured this fight, was an inspiration for the resistance, for the fight of our people against neoliberalism in the grim decade of the 90s, thus safeguarding the rights of the children of workers and peasants to higher education.

Five, that throughout the history of our country the university has been a fundamental link for the conquest of freedom and peace for Nicaraguan families, who have contributed the blood of their best sons, outstanding student leaders of the stature of comandante Carlos Fonseca Amador, so much pride; Casimiro Sotelo, Julio Buitrago, Edgar La Gata Munguía, Marlon Zelaya, Alfonso Baca Ríos, and in the decade of the 90s, Jerónimo Urbina, Porfirio Ramos, Roberto González.

This year Cristián Emilio Cadenas, who we all know was despicably murdered, because he was forced to return to the CUUN when he had already left, at gunpoint, they forced him to return to the CUUN where they have already set on fire the installations of the CUUN.

And he died burned, giving his life with courage so that we might continue forward, with faith and hope.

Other victims of the coup terrorism, of the criminals who played with hate, these are the hate crimes that we were not famiiar with in our Nicaragua, in recent history.

Our president agrees to grant the Rubén Darío Cultural Independence Order to the national ex-presidents of the National Student Union, UNEN.

Julio Orozco, national president of UNEN, 1993-97; Alonso García Rizo, national president of the UNEN, 1997-2000, Fidel Moreno, known as Fidel Antonio, Vice national president of the UNEN 1997 to 2000; Bismarck Antonio Santana Tijerino, president of the UNEN, 2000 to 2003, wounded by a bullet on Dec 13, 1995, he lost a leg, this was in the that grim and dark period of the so-called 16 years.[2]

Students fighting for the 6%!

Also receiving the award were Yasser Martínez Montoya, Yasser Enrique, president of the UNEN from 2003-2006; César Antonio Pérez, César Pérez, president of the UNEN from 2006 to 2009; Walpa Pineda, national president of the UNEN from 2015-2016; Isaac Lenin Bravo Jaén, president 2013-2016; Luis Manuel Andino Paiz, current president, since 2016; Leonel Morales, president of the UNEN UPOLI and survivor of an assassination attempt, but the fact is that they were not able and will not be able [to be successful].

The present Agreement takes effect starting today.

Award to Presidents

She also cited Agreement 174-2018:

The president of the Republic in salute to the 104^th anniversary of the existence of the Student Movement in Nicaragua, that from its origins have accompanied and accompany the Nicaraguan people in their fight and aspirations for freedom, development, sovereignty and peace, in this year of 2018 when the Centennial is celebrated, inspired in the legacy of the Father of University Autonomy, Dr. Mariano Fiallos Gil who fought for a quality, inclusive public university committed to freedom, peace and development: agrees to recognize for her outstanding contribution to the development of Nicaraguan public universities granting the Ruben Darío Cultural Independence Order to the compañera Flor de María Valle, the current president of the UNAN-León, the first women elected as the president of the National University in León in March 2018.

“Compañera Ramona Rodríguez Pérez, Monchita, the president of the UNAN-Managua in 2015. She is also the president of the National University Council CNU, since August of this year. The First women president of the UNAN Managua and the first woman president of the CNU”, commented Compañera Rosario Murillo.

The example of the youth highlighted

In his message to the participants of the XVI Congress of the UNAN, president Daniel Ortega highlighted the role that the youth have played in the defense of the achievements of the people and the revolution.

“Here are the youth, the youth who with the effort of families, on occasion with the effort of the mother, who is father and mother at the same time, and with their capacities, intelligence, vocation, spirit of service, after making a long and not easy journey, passing primary, after secondary school, came the big challenge: the university”, said the Nicaraguan president.

“The National University, where to be able to go there you have to pass a test by fire. And that is what shows this can-do spirit that working families have, humble families, poor families, from the city and the countryside; even families in extreme poverty, who with great sacrifice are able to take boys and girls to primary school; and finally they are able to graduate from high school and then take the leap to university,” he emphasized.

Loyal to the Homeland

He pointed out that that it is the “university of the people, the university of the poor, the university of the children of peasants, the university of the children of the workers, and with a high level of awareness, this understandable degree of social awareness, this high level of solidarity awareness, this high degree of patriotic awareness, this high degree of awareness that makes the students of the UNEN loyal youth to the homeland, loyal to the revolution, loyal to the poor, loyal to the peasants, to the workers.”

He indicated that in this example, “there loyalty is committed, fighting for them and with them so that we might continue this struggle to eradicate poverty and extreme poverty.”

He greets the ambassadors of sister countries.

In what follows President Daniel Ortega greeted the ambassadors from the sister countries invited to the closing of the UNEN Congress [he greeted Ambassadors from Bolivia, Cuba, El Salvador, Iran, Palestine, Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, and Venezuela].

The nefarious inheritance of neoliberalism

The Statesman pointed out that “neoliberalism that had the complete support of the Yankees, the European Union, what was it that it left the Nicaraguan people? In educational matters in primary , secondary education, privatization,” he mentioned.

“That was the policy; privatize, privatize education, privatize health care, privatize the basic services of the Nicaraguan state, that is what they did,” he added.

They privatized businesses with millions in income

“Privatizing big telephone companies that are a source of income, resources for any country, now which we Nicaraguans would like to have, but they privatized them in the midst of deals, big commissions, telephone companies mean multimillions of dollars worth of income, we used to say, do not privatize them, they were the years of the 90s, from the opposition we used to say, do not privatize them, and they insisted on privatizing,” he pointed out.

“We used to tell them, but you have to realize what the telephone companies are and are going to be in the future, an enormous source of resources for the country, and no, they decided to privatize, and they embarked on snatching properties away from the peasants who had been benefitted by the Agrarian Reform, and they embarked on evicting the workers who had received state enterprises,” he lamented.

The fight in the streets

“When the protest began- because, yes we went to protest, we held protests – why protests? So that it be negotiated and that participation in the privatization might be given to the workers. That was our proposal because we were facing a reality: the government had decided to privatize”, he added.

He restated: “and we did not think about embarking on a new insurrection to overthrow the government, because it was easy to overthrow it, for us it would have been easy to overthrow the government of Ms. Chamorro, the government of Dr. Alemán or the government of Mr. Bolaños, it was easy, simple, but we did not think about that.”

He explained that it never occurred to them to overthrow the government. “I always repeat, how, when we were in those negotiations in the midst of the protests in 1990, at the beginning of the 90s when they began with their privatization plan, snatching from the people, the poor, the revolutionary conquests, when they fired thousands of education workers, thousands of health workers, when they fired workers in customs, state workers, simply because they were Sandinistas or because they suspected that they were Sandinistas.”

“It did not occur to us to overthrow the government. Yes we did protest and compared to the protests that we did – that we were doing then – that have nothing to do with the crimes that they committed in this coup attempt”, he highlighted.

They sent the Army on the people

He recalled that the neoliberal governments did not hesitate to send out the Army on the people. “They did not hesitate to call the Army and send out the Army against those who were protesting. The Police were not enough, rather they sent out the Army as well, to shoot at the workers who were defending the companies that they had been given by the revolutionary state,” he said.

“Workers died there, defending supply centers, there in the province of Estelí, he remembered.

A general at the service of the oligarchy and the empire

“ And who was the Army chief, who violated the principles? The chief of the Army was General Ortega. General Humberto Ortega was head of the Army, that at that time, since then, with the departure of the [Sandinista] government simply decided to pass over to the side of those who had won the elections, and turn himself into a pawn of the oligarchy and the empire. A servant of the oligarchy and the empire”, he emphasized.

“This explains why he sent out the Army, an Army that was not, is not for that. He used it. We cannot forget, we cannot forget how the oligarchs, the imperialists, when they faced situations of protests on the part of the people, did not hesitate to establish a state of emergency, martial law, and brought out the Army to repress the people,” he continued.

“We continue seeing it in these times, in different places where it continues happening,” he commented.

“And when we were in those moments, we were negotiating for two months in that hall, of the Olof Palme (convention center), a hall where the workers were negotiating with the ministers , and another room where we were, talking with the leadership of the government,” recounted President Daniel Ortega,.

“Engineer Antonio Lacayo was the leadership of the government of Ms. Chamorro. And of course, it was difficult for them to reach an agreement in the negotiation in the midst of the protests, there were deaths, and one day Engineer Lacayo showed up and said to me, `Daniel, Doña Violeta says that she is no longer going to continue in the government, that she is going to give you the keys to the Presidency and that you all take the presidency,” he continued.

“I said to him, `No, we are going to take the presidency again when we win it with the votes of the people.´”, recounted the president, that he said to the then Minister of the Presidency, Antonio Lacayo.

“And I said to Engineer Lacayo, that they should continue negotiating and reach an agreement, there with the workers, and in the end an agreement was reached, that they were going to cede to them 25% of the companies that they were privatizing, returning to the Somocistas, who had returned also to Nicaragua,” he said.

He added that meanwhile the students were accompanying that struggle, “students from the National University were present, also some students from the Central American University, and let us not even talk about the battle that had to be taken on for the 6%, a battle that had to continue.”

President Daniel Ortega emphasized that while they (the neoliberal governments) were in power, “it never occurred to us to day, `let them leave´. Never. `Let them end their period and we will see them in the elections´, that was our position, and we saw them in the elections in 1990, later we saw them in the elections of 96, then we saw them once again in the elections of 2001, three and nothing. And the spokespeople for the right and the oligarchy would say, `you have now struck out, three and nothing´, but…We revolutionaries do not understand strike outs! And we went to the fourth election and there the people decided that the Sandinista Front should return to power.”

Comandante Daniel Ortega referred to the conditions in which he found the country: “ we found the government, the country, I am not going to make a list, I am only going to refer to one point. The neoliberal governments had privatized energy, they had not put clear norms or clear rules on the companies who had bought the energy plants, who, at the moment of buying the state plants, bought what was in good shape and did not buy what was in bad shape, and of course, by means of commissions, corruption and they did not make bigger investments in energy.”

He recalled that some two years before the FSLN came to government we already had an energy crisis in the country, and “there was the government running around to try to bring in a ship, those ships that they rent, they come with a plant, so the ship comes in and is installed in Puerto Corinto, there it is connected to the distribution system, but well… how much does that energy cost and it does not belong to the Nicaraguan state. It was rented from a speculative business and they charged what they want because they knew that the country was drowning, but in spite of that, the energy blackouts continued throughout the country, there was daily rationing in the entire country.”

“When we took on the government we found that the country, all of Nicaragua was collapsing, was broke, because a country without energy simply cannot function, cannot move forward, and there is where Comandante Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías appeared. He came to our installation, the installation of the people of Nicaragua, and then talking with him about the situation that we had, because the truth is that, if this problem was not resolved, then simply the government that we had recently assumed would be able to do very little for Nicaragua,” he recalled.

“What industry, what productive activity, what social recreational activity can operate without energy? And we were without energy, blackouts for hours. And there is where I said to President Chávez, we have this problem, explaining the problem to him, I did not dare to say to him help me, explaining the problem to him, he comes up and addresses other compañeros: Do we have plants in Cuba that are going to Caracas? Yes, the compañero sayd to him. Daniel, we are going to resolve this now. The plants that are in Cuba, that came from Korea, very modern plants, made in Korea and they are placing orders, Cuba and Venezuela together. Those orders went to Cuba, one part stayed for Cuba, and another part was going to Venezuela. Venezuela was looking for how to cover their basic energy needs, so the plants that we have in Cuba have to be brought now to Nicaragua, afterwards we will take more plants to Venezuela, but let us bring the plants that are now in Cuba to Nicaragua and those plants are the ones that saved Nicaraguan,” he stated.

The Comandante added that the oligarchs did not see this, the sellouts who when the energy came, from the hand of the Bolivarian Revolution, were incapable of recognizing it and being grateful for it, and rather what they did was drink the milk, “because of course, the energy they took, they used it, there was no bad government there when the energy was coming from Venezuela, they ran to use the energy, and as they say: they drank the milk and cursed the cow, that is how it was.”

He says that “that is why I do not get tired of repeating that in this process that we have lived through, in this new stage of the revolution, the Bolvarian revolution has been present, the sword of Bolívar has been present, through the sword of Chávez.

Also how, after the transition to immortality of Chávez, our brother Nicolás Maduro Moros, Constitutional President of the sister Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, maintains that firm commitment with the Nicaraguan people.

And then how the economy moved all these years, and the social programs and everything that the people know how to value, and that explains why Nicaragua has a high rate of growth until the coup attempt against the state in April,” he stated.

“A country with a high degree of security, stability, a country at peace, thanks be to God, a country in economic growth, a country of social growth, a country admired by the way in which we were advancing, in spite of being a very small economy, this caused more admiration, because it is not the same thing, a country that has a lot of resources that is able to channel those resources correctly, and it brings well being and growth to the people; as a country like Nicaragua, always in very precarious conditions from the economic point of view, but knowing how to promote the solidarity of peoples and particularly the Venezuelan people, and knowing how to promote our own capacities, because we were in conditions also of placing our products in the market of ALBA, and placing our products in the international market, because we have a force of peasants, farmers, small producers, medium producers, workers who have a great capacity for developing our own capacities, taking into account our own resources and our own riches and that is where the growth that we have had came from,” he explained.

“But of course, the traitors, always conspiring with the empire. Since we came to power in 2007 they began to conspire, they began to ask for sanctions against the people of Nicaragua, they began to apply sanctions, but we said: it is important to continue, it is important to continue, because we have the intelligence, we have the strength, we have the human capital to be able to continue beyond the sanctions,” he expressed.

“And in the desperation, when they realized that they could not stop this highly humanitarian, highly humanist, highly solidarity based process, then they had no other alternative than to embark while armed on murdering the people, to try to overthrow the people who are the government and who are the president of this country,” he confirmed.

The president of Nicaragua, comandante Daniel Ortega, emphasized how all the oligarchs and sell-outs came together, “how they came together, how also some hierarchs of the church came together, after we invited them, we told them that they would be mediators, they quit being mediators and moved to being an active part of the coup forces, and this said by they themselves, now in declarations that have appeared, it is now clearly seen who were behind the roadblocks, encouraging roadblocks, in other words, encouraging crimes, who by principle, as Christians, as pastors, should have completely rejected any crime.”

He emphasized that these Catholic hierarchs “do not have anything to do with that Christ who was being whipped. When they took him to crucify him, and having all the power as the son of God to be able to do away with all those who were whipping him and were going to crucify him, he knew rather to say, pardon them, that they do not know what they are doing. These friends who speak in the name of Christ do not know that word of Pardon them that they do not know what they are doing.”

“They do not have anything of Christians, and they act with a terrorist, criminal mentality, they do. They happily joined the terrorist and criminal coup, the death of their brother Nicaraguans did not hurt them, the torture did not hurt them, the stark exhibition of those who were tortured, were mistreated, and then burned, no, it did not hurt them. They never said one word, nor have they said one word condemning these criminal deeds. Never”, he stated.

“God wants that in these days of Christmas that a little bit of light from the star of Bethlehem that might cleanse them would reach them, he wished.

“Dear compañeros, dear boys and girls of the National Student Union. I do have here the conclusions that you read and we are going to take them to seek responses, here facing greater challenges, even in greater difficulties, we are never going to resign, we are never going to resign overcoming the challenges, overcoming the difficulties and providing a response to the people, providing a response to families, giving a response to the students,” encouraged the comandante.

“And greetings to all of you, and through all of you, to all the students of the university, the university that receives the children of the poor. And sending a greeting to all the families who are part of this blessed extraordinary effort that has allowed you to reach the doors of the university, the university classrooms, and then achieve a degree to later serve your families, serve the community, serve the people,” he added.

“And on this day offering homage, as well they deserve it, the heroe and martyr students who have given their lives for just causes, the students of our universities who in different circumstances, fighting for a better Nicaragua, for a Nicaragua in peace, for a Nicaragua with justice, have given their lives, without asking anything in return, nothing, and they as Leonel Rugama used to say, they did not say that they were dying for the homeland, they did not say that they were dying for the people, they did not say that they were dying for the dignity of Nicaragua, but they died, “ he pronounced.

The president concluded his words saying, “Long live our heroes and martyrs! Long live the National Student Union of Nicaragua! Long live Darío! Long live Sandino! Sandino lives, the fight continues, Free Fatherland or Death!”

[1]Their representatives sat on the government´s side during the dialogue, opposite the “self convened” students who led the initial protests. Largely considered part of the FSLN party apparatus.

[2] 1990-2006, period when the FSLN was not in power.

Oscar René Vargas is a well known political analyst, now in exile in Costa Rica after the government ordered his arrest in July. He  joined the FSLN in 1967 and was forced into exile during the Somoza regime that same year, after rescuing Ortega from a safe-house surrounded by Somoza´s military. He was named Nicaraguan Ambassador to France shortly after Ortega came back to power in 2007.

In this piece he analyzes the impact of a number of very recent events, including the arrival of the new US ambassador and his visit to the Nicaraguan Army; the impact of Trump´s executive decrees, especially on  the plans of big capital vis a vis the crisis; the surprising announcement of the retirement of some 24 military officers; the visit of Richard Feinberg; and the heightened attacks this past week on independent media.

Ortega-Murillo: Against the Ropes?

By Oscar René Vargas

Published on 100% Noticias website, Dec 6, 2018

[Spanish version at: https://100noticias.com.ni/nacionales/95148-ortega-murillo-contra-cuerdas/ ]

1. The social movement is ebbing (stagnation phase), a result of the brutal repression and lack of adequate political leadership. Paramilitary repression in the streets, neighborhoods, highways and rural zones, and the violation of human rights, have increased.

2. Due to the ebbing of the social movement, the political clock favors Ortega-Murillo in their objective of continuing in power until 2021.

3. On Nov 14 the [new US] Ambassador Kevin Sullivan arrived in Nicaragua and began to move many political chess pieces of the country.

4. The US sanctions on the Ortega-Murillo government have created in the population the hope for a quick departure of the regime, and lot of nervousness in the de facto powers.

5. With Trump´s Executive Decree, the great majority of the members of big capital, weak and dependent, have been left very frightened and willing to literally do whatever would please the US. The question is knowing what is the next tactical step in their strategy against the Ortega-Murillo regime.

6. The reaction of Daniel Ortega (DOS) against the Catholic Church and Humberto Ortega (HOS) shows me that DOS is afraid that in the conversations of Ambassador Sullivan with the different sectors (Army, Church, Media, NGOs, Youth, AMCHAM, etc) a solution to the crisis was contemplated that is not favorable to Ortega-Murillo.

7. Is the attack of DOS against his brother the result of the fact that HOS has done work within the Army to promote an aggressive and independent action to the Ortega-Murillo regime?

8. Is there some relationship between the move to retire the four colonels, 26 lieutenant colonels and the five mayors to the political work that HOS is doing in the ranks of the Army? That quantity of soldiers being retired is not normal, it is a cleaning, “purging.”

9. There is the hypothesis about the resignation of Ortega-Murillo, and that Omar Halleslevens[1] would assume the interim presidency, with the support of the Army, HOS, big capital and the US. This would explain the reaction of DOS on December 3. It is clear that this would be the perfect solution for the de facto internal and external powers, leaving the self convened on the sidelines.

10. In my view, it is not likely that Ortega-Murillo will resign. All their actions indicate their desire to stay in power at any cost until 2021. It is important to not forget that this past November 17 they retired colonels, lieutenant colonels, and majors who commanded troops and had historical connections with Halleslevens, or who had manifested a certain amount of disagreement with the attitude of the Army during the height of the social and political crisis.

11. A full fledged purge happened on November 17^th in the military institution; nevertheless we cannot completely accept the hypothesis about the arrangement of the succession of Ortega-Murillo, above all because of the desire of the US to want to separate them from power.

12. Also, it is important to be clear that the Army cannot put up with more economic deterioration of the country, nor can they expose themselves to be affected in their US investments. The Ortega-Murillo government does not have the capacity to maintain the Army as Maduro does in Venezuela.

13. The attack of Ortega on the Episcopal Conference has the purpose of eliminating their participation in any future negotiation. Ortega´s objective is that in a new negotiation only people who are in agreement with Ortega-Murillo remaining in power until 2021, or a date close to that, would participate.

14. On Tuesday December 4^th in the conference organized by the financial newspaper, the “Wall Street Journal”, John Bolton, National Security Advisor to the White House, stated, “We have to confront these regimes (Nicaragua, Venezuela and Cuba) and free their people. I believe that throughout the continent it is not just a US project, but more and more it is a project of all democratic countries in the region.”

15. The different movements of the self convened have demanded more forcefulness with the Ortega-Murillo regime. Many of them are demanding a national strike, others a three day strike. The strike that decimated Somoza and precipitated his fall in 1979 is in the collective consciousness.

16. Nevertheless, some sectors of big capital are thinking coldly about a negotiated solution with the Ortega-Murillo government, because they are afraid of a radicalization of the popular movement.

17. These sectors of big capital and their allies think that some reforms and an amnesty can rebuild the governance pact with the government, with some variations.

18. In this negotiated solution they want to involve the parasitical parties allied and/or subordinated to the Ortega-Murillo regime. They think that with the passage of time the “radical” sectors will lose their political weight in the current crisis, allowing for a negotiated solution.

19. In the interview with Carlos Fernando Chamorro, the unofficial envoy of the US establishment sectors, Richard Feinberg, argued for an outcome similar to what some members of big capital and their allies are promoting.

20. The rejection of the majority of the population to the Ortega-Murillo government continues. Nevertheless, the lack of a unified political leadership does not allow for the weaknesses of the government to be taken advantage of, nor to present an alternative government.

21. The murders, amount of prisoners, people disappeared and exiled are what makes the rejection [of the government] on the part of the population continue, and complicates the solution that some members of big capital and traditional politicians are seeking.

22. In recent weeks the repression has focused on the communications media (100% Noticias, Radio Darío, etc.), for the purpose of eliminating the possibilities that the population be informed about events in real time in an objective manner.

23. All of the above indicates to us that the social and political crisis continues without being resolved, that the economic recession is going to worsen, that the de facto powers want a mild exit, and that the self convened continue demanding justice and democracy.

San José, Costa Rica

December 2018

[1] Previous Commander in Chief of Nicaraguan Military and Vice President in previous period.

This in an interview of Fr. Edwin Román, the pastor of the San Miguel Church in Masaya. The interview focuses on  the government´s recently announced policy of reconciliation (see previous post). Sandino´s mother was  Fr. Román´s great grandmother, as his mother was the daughter of a half sister of Sandino. Fr. Román became  known for accompanying human rights workers to protect the civilian population of Monimbó when government supported paramilitaries , led by  Police Commissioner Avellán, attacked the barricades using military weaponry. 

Fr Edwin Román questions the “reconciliation” of the FSLN

The priest who suffered the state attack along with the people of Masaya

By Cinthya Tórrez García published in La Prensa, Monday November 12, 2018

In the last seven months Father Edwin Román has experienced the repression of the dictatorship and has a very clear concept, when asked, about the policy of reconciliation that the government in power is attempting to promote.

Román, who suffered the state attack along with the people of Masaya, does not believe in the executioners. For him the proposal is “questionable” as long as the repression continues.

Father, after nearly four months since the paramilitary attack against the people of Masaya, how is life in the city?

The situation is always very tense. I cannot tell you that it is improving. Generally there is little commerce in the morning. The streets are not as busy as they always were, I understand that even the taxi drivers themselves complain because they say they are only ones out, driving around, and there are no passengers, they see the presence of many police patrols, so the people do not go out…. The environment is not normal here in Masaya.

The regime has mentioned a policy of reconciliation. What does true reconciliation imply?

Being reconciled means being restored, for example, restoring a friendship, being in harmony in a home, a country.

Being restored in order to be reconciled with the other, you have to first be reconciled with yourself. Because if I am going to be reconciled with the other, I have to demonstrate my reconciliation with myself. The fact of having pardoned myself, my bad actions, as a believer in that constant search for God to be able to understand what does the word reconcile mean. They are doing this in a political way, practically with the four letters (of the regime, FSLN). They are talking about reconciliation from the party point of view.

The first ones that they have to reconcile with are the people of Nicaragua, because they have been the perpetrators, and Nicaragua has been the victim; I am not talking about since April, but all of these years, we have been victims of violations of human rights, of many unpunished crimes (remember the case of Elea Valle).

But it seems to me that in this country, those who in their own way are talking today about a reconciliation law, should first practice it themselves. That it be visible, because the people of Nicaragua have been their victims. They have been the offenders. What Nicaragua has experienced in this moment is a reaction. This uprising has been a reaction, if we had truly been in that peace, in that solidarity, in that catchphrase that they have talked about, Christianity, then were would have been no need for any uprising.

Analysts have said that an initiative for a policy of reconciliation could seek an amnesty for the regime or greater control through the Orteguista Police. How do you see it?

This is going to continue the repression in a way. Because Nicaragua is not stupid. They are not going to string us along.

This is going to increase the police repression more, the control over families, the brain washing in the schools, even for you yourselves, as the communications media, independent, those who are critical, they are going to try to muzzle you. This is a type of reconciliation on their terms.

What is it exactly that the regime is looking for by trying to talk about reconciliation?

It has its best moments in the dialogue. That was a golden ladder to keep from getting to this extreme, why are they now talking about a law of reconciliation. I see it as a way of shirking their crimes before the entire world. Wanting to provide a different picture to the Nicaraguan people, we who have had the flaw of historic memory. We have forgotten about the crimes, and things continue happening. They are trying to evade justice. Daily we see people who are kidnapped, there is repression, civic demonstrations are prohibited, the amount of political prisoners that exist.

Political prisoners (accused) of terrorism.

Do you believe that the population of Masaya accepts this supposed reconciliation (taking into account the repression that it experienced)?

There is no protest, no demonstration in the streets due to the repression. The people comment, complain, as a priest I am aware of their complaints, their problems, but they are muzzled, they cannot even express themselves publicly because they will be arrested, but that is not fear, it is prudence (…). That supposed law (policy) is not credible, a government like that is no longer believed, that has murdered its people. Masaya always cries over the blood of its dead, and there is a nostalgia in these last two months of the year. November 2^nd itself was very hard. Many people came to the mass on November 2^nd for their deceased, and you could see how hard it was for so many mothers who were crying. There was like a dialogue of silence between them and myself, I understanding their cry, and they receiving consolation (…). Divine justice will happen, sooner or later (…), the justice of law also we hope will be fulfilled.

What conditions should be established for a true reconciliation?

Dialogue cannot be discarded. The bishops are always open to dialogue, but also let us look at the other party, civil society, and I am very much in agreement, for a dialogue to exist there has to be the liberation of the political prisoners, because we cannot be dialoguing if we have people without any blame who are being sentenced for years. A dialogue and also the population continues being repressed.

Part of the reconciliation that they want to promote, well let it be shown by freeing the political prisoners, that they quit repressing the people every day, that they quit harassing families, that they be very crystal clear. The openness to move up elections, as the people themselves are asking for.

Do you believe that they are willing to do this or it that a utopia?

That is the demand, and I would not be able to respond to you about what is in their heads. That is the clamor, and if they were honest, if it was an honest government, I think that we would be much better in Nicaragua, from so much selfishness, so much personal and party interest.

How do they talk about religiosity and spirituality (as a focus of the policy), when they are maintaining a campaign against the Church and especially against Mons. Silvio Báez? Is it double talk?

Yes, because Mons. Báez has been a prophet (…), prophets did not just exist previously, but rather Christ continues speaking through his Word. And what has been said is a reality, as St. Paul has said and Mons. Báez has repeated, the Word of God is not chained, the Word of God is a double edged sword, because many times is goes to the one who is preaching it and the one who hears it, and it is double speak what has been done because they talk to you about Christianity, peace, love…

What is the Government looking for with this double speak?

Look, we who in this country are Catholics or Christians, be that of the Catholic Church or another Christian Church, and we who are very conscious of our faith, we are conscious of the faith and the Word of God, but what the Government does is manipulate the Word of God, manipulate popular activity. In these days, I imagine, they are going to continue making these supposed altars for the Virgin, that logically, the mother of heaven will be unhappy with what they are doing to poor Nicaragua. This is double speak: manipulate religious symbols, and this lady (Rosario Murillo) who talks also, even seems to prophesize, a preacher, but one preaches with the word and the testimony of your life. You cannot be talking about God and attacking the Church that Christ founded.

In the policy of reconciliation they include religious denominations, but not specifically the Catholic Church. Have you been consulted?

I don´t know if they would have dialogued with someone in the Curia. They would have to go to the Archbishop´s office.

But the fact that they do not mention directly the Catholic Church in the official reconciliation project…

I do not know, it is a questionable law. They have something there, I do not know, implementing in a questionable way. Really the Church has not fought with them.

When you say questionable, what are you referring to?

The way that they are going to implement it. Because they are talking about reconciliation, but the practice of reconciliation is not being followed. They are talking about faith, love, but the Catholic Church is being attacked, and by attacking the Church it is not just one bishop, but all Catholics.

Father, the Orteguista Police, who have been repressive, will be responsible for “community” work. What appreciation do you have of this?

A lot of suspicious things are seen, in other words, there is no guarantee. The executioners, how are they going to be (doing) this now? If they have been the executioners of their people, the people do not forget, and how is their trust going to be felt(…)? How are these people going to be believed who are coming to organize a neighborhood, if they are the executioners of the people, they are the oppressors? What trust is there? None. It is a mistake. I think that this is what they are accomplishing, is that the people, first of all, repressing more, and secondly, the people are a volcano, you do not know at what moment they might explode (…)

Imagine, for example, the General Commissioner Ramón Avellán, one of the faces of the repression. Do you see him really reconciling with the victims, including yourself who was one of the victims of his attacks?

Since it was a public sin, let him say it publicly. That he ask forgiveness of each one of his victims, but also that that pardon lead him to make reparations, and the reparation is justice. That they pay for their crimes. Because it is very easy to say “I ask forgiveness”, but that forgiveness has to also lead to paying for my crime. I think that he has committed it, there have been some public sins, all of Nicaragua knows who the intellectual authors are of so many crimes, and some who know the police who killed them, some were able to discover them, and that they say publicly, that they ask forgiveness publicly, and at the same time face justice, because it is not something from the lips, but also that it be seen that justice is being applied, and this is not hate, this is something natural, that reparations be made. And God is love and is open to forgiveness. No matter how criminal a person may be if he is repentant, he wants to be restored, God receives him.

Do you see Commissioner Avellán asking for pardon in public?

I do not know. No, I do not expect it. I pray for those who have murdered, have mistreated the people in Nicaragua. I pray for conversion, for peace in Nicaragua. I do not expect that they ask me to forgive them.

And the mothers, do you really see him asking forgiveness, taking a step toward that reconciliation?

Everything is possible. Let each person take responsibility for their crimes, and be tried so that they might have peace in their conscience.

 

The end of October the First Lady announced an initiative for the promotion of a culture of peace that would culminate in a possible amnesty law. What follows is the policy proposal the government issued, along with a calendar for its implementation.

The opposition has expressed concern that the plan does not address justice and redress for the 325 people killed, hundreds illegally detained , thousands wounded mostly by pro-government forces, and the some 40,000 who fled the country in the face of the government sponsored violence. They have expressed the concern that this could be a prelude to a general amnesty for those involved in these serious human rights violations.

POLICY PROPOSAL FOR THE PROMOTION OF A CULTURE OF PEACE AND RECONCILIATION (#1)

 Introduction:

The Government of National Reconciliation and Unity, in the framework of its commitment to the Wellbeing of Nicaraguan Families, has prepared the current Policy where it resumes Work Processes that it has been implementing from different spheres and sectors throughout the eleven years of good Government in the search to improve the harmonious co-existence of families, communities and strengthening Citizen Security.

2. Justification

Throughout our country in different moments of its History, multiple experiences of peaceful resolution of situations that affect our co-existence have been demonstrated; disagreements that have been addressed in different ways where we, the population and communities, have achieved important spiritual, social, cultural and economic transformations.

These national experiences of peace have shown that the use of skills for peaceful co-existence is an effective mechanism that contributes solutions to the transformation and the construction of healthy environments, healthy for the family and the community. Recovering the cultural legacy of the peaceful resolution of disagreements has constituted a priority for the Government of National Reconciliation and Unity through the different Values Promotion Strategies.

This Policy will continue strengthening this Cultural and Spiritual Legacy in the Families, from an articulated system of the promotion of a culture of peace.

3. General Objective of the Policy of Culture of Peace and Reconciliation

Recovering the Cultural Legacy of Nicaraguan Families in the creation and strengthening of a Culture of Peace that would allow having an impact on the prevention of all expressions of disagreements between People, Families and Communities.

4. Policy for a Culture of Peace Approach

The ways in which we people relate to one another are determined by the use and customs of each human group, and by the need for love and understanding, as vital for survival as food, clothing, protection and health.

These vital conditions throughout the history of humanity have been ensured by families, as a fundamental aspect where these uses and customs are lived and transmitted to new generations, which constitute the culture of a country and that give meaning to belonging to a Country.

On forming our own Families, all of us People carry with us the way in which we were raised, which is why reaching agreements and accepting differences is a challenge to the Daily Life that can be resolved by building among all of us a Culture of Peace, capable of recovering the wealth of the Cultural Values of Nicaraguan Families.

This Culture of Peace, whose roots are in families, can be strengthened also in School, Church, and the Community, and be transferred to the work sphere and to Organizational, Political, Cultural and Religious Spaces.

Even though the Family ensures the transmission of Values, it is in the family nucleus where conflicts and disagreements are generated, originated in the daily co-existence of people of different ages, world visions, habits and customs; from there the importance that a Culture of Peace Policy has as it essential starting and ending points Families and connected Institutions and Entities capable of strengthening the role of recovering and strengthening Values that the family group puts to use.

Based on this, it is important to have a Policy that would promote the strengthening of those Values that constitute the cultural legacy of Nicaraguan Families, so that it might have an impact on the prevention of conflicts within Families and Communities, as well as carry out Processes of Personal, Family and Community Reunification.

5. How are we going to recover our Nicaraguan family legacy?

a) Consolidating Family and Community strategies for the recovery and strengthening of the family legacy in peaceful conflict resolution, identifying at the personal and collective levels the positive spaces that we learned in our Families, selecting in that legacy what we want to transmit to our Children, Adolescents and Youth so that it might help them as guide and example for their own pathways.

b) Developing from School the capacity to understand conflicts as a constitutive element of all Societies: address them in a positive ways, through Dialogue, in order to promote social transformations on which the strengthening of the Culture of Peace will be sustained.

c) Promoting attitudes and behaviors that would help to build bridges, strengthen territorial identity, contribute to the construction of alliances and collective visions of peace that would sustain the construction of a Country of Peace based on a co-responsible exercise among Schools, Churches, Communities and Institutions, and that we feel have been guides along the paths that we have taken and that today we remember with love and gratitude.

6. Focuses of our legacy of Nicaraguan Family Culture to work on with different actors

• Spirit of Struggle and Work
• Religiosity/Spirituality
• Joy and Optimism
• Solidarity and Mutual Support
• Confidence in ourselves and in others
• Capacity to build and maintain hope even in the most adverse conditions

7. Actors of the Culture of Peace Policy and their roles in the Formation of Values, Behavior and Attitudes

Family Groups:

• People of different ages and interests live in them which is why the present Policy has differentiated Work Strategies, depending on the moment of the Life Cycle of the people.
• Hierarchical relations are established that can become even authoritarian and violent, which is why it is necessary to work with a gender and generational perspective in order to ensure relationships of Respect and Equity between Men and Women, Adults and Children.

Educational System:

• Plays a complementary role to the Family in the holistic formation of new generations
• Constitutes a privileged space for strengthening the formative role of Families, as well as to have a direct influence on the recovery and reinforcement of Values and the Promotion of Relationships of Respect and Equity among the student population.

Churches:

The different Religious Denominations in Nicaragua, being mostly Christian, have the Message to:

• Complement the Values Formation Processes that Families as well as the Educational System carry out
• Offer privileged spaces for co-existence to promote visions, attitudes and conduct capable of reproducing the Culture of Love, Peace and Well being contained in Christian Doctrine.

Communities:

• Are the spaces where People share the habits and customs learned in families and reinforced in the Educational System and the Churches.

Work Places:

• The work sphere and organizational spaces are also places for Encounter to strengthen the Culture of Peace and Harmonious Co-existence

Communications media:

• Offer the opportunity to transmit Messages that reinforce Values and thereby strengthen the Culture of Peace

8. Strategic Work Lines

The Strategies, Programs, Actions, Methodologies and Materials will be established with the current Policy for the promotion of Family Values that are already being promoted in the Country.

The Policy resumes the following actions underway that will be organizing from one sole, systemic and integrated work logic with the different Policy actors: Family Groups, Educational System, Churches, Communities, Local Governments, Regional Governments, Work Centers and Communications Media.

The Actions are the following:

a) The Love Program for the Little Ones

Through the Love Program for the Little Ones tools will continue to be offered to Parents and Guardians to develop spaces for early stimulation and rearing with kindness for Children from pregnancy to six years of age, using the “Love for the Little Ones Early Stimulation Primer”, an action that will be carried out by the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health and the Ministry of the Family, through a joint work plan.

b) The Counselors in the Educational Communities and the Family Counselors who are part of the Early Alert System

In the Counselors in the Educational Communities with a vision of early intervention, and the joint work with Parents, Guardians and the Educational Community, Early Alerts will be identified, using the Primer for the Identification of Early Alert Signs, and primary accompaniment will be done for Boys, Girls, Adolescents and Youth with psychosocial problem situations that can interfere in their educational processes, such as: Domestic misunderstandings, School Addictions, teenage Pregnancy, Violence: Physical, psychological and sexual, Trafficking and sexual exploitation and loss of Love for Life, referring these situations through timely referral to the Family Counselors who work directly with Families, and are complemented by a collaborative Team composed of Technicians and Technical Experts in Children and Families with the capacity to provide accompaniment, specialized attention and refer to other levels of specialization the situations that affect the members of the Family.

Both sets of Counselors among themselves form one collaborative Work Team that have common objectives: address in a holistic manner the prevention and appearance of situations that threaten the tranquility of families.

This Early Warning System of Violence Prevention that starts in the Family, the School and the Community, is promoted in an interconnected way by the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of the Family, the Ministry of Health and Youth Affairs of the National Police.

c) Schools of Family Values

The Promotion of new models of relationships within the family. Providing tools to Parents and Guardians on ways of raising children, placing limits and directing behavior and learning without using violent methods. Strengthen the relationship of couples based on respect, communication and mutual support, and respect and tolerance for Older Adults. Schools that will be promoted by the Ministry of the Family, Adolescents and Children.

d) Schools for Adolescents and Youth

Aimed at strengthening protective factors and life skills. Schools that will be promoted and coordinated by the Ministry of the Family, Adolescents and Children, with the participation of the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Youth, INATEC, Youth Affairs of the National Police and other community actors willing to join the effort.

e) Teacher Training

Include in the initial curriculum of Teacher training in the Normal Schools and the Shared Learning Pedagogical Spaces (EPI) in a monthly way work tools for the promotion of the Culture of Peace under the responsibility of the Ministry of Education.

f) Ongoing Campaigns for the Promotion of Family Values and Harmony

Carry out an ongoing campaign for the Promotion of Family Values, placing emphasis on: spending time together, improving communication, listening to what people are feeling and putting emphasis on values, using the Primer for the Promotion of Family Values and Harmony in the spaces (Monthly and Bimonthly Encounters with Parents in Schools, in Value Schools, in Educational and Community Fairs) under the responsibility of the Ministry of the Family, Adolescents and Children, and the Ministry of Education.

g) Guidance for Parents and Guardians

Work with the Counselors of the Educational Communities on guidance processes for parents and guardians to provide them with tools for communication, understanding and guidance for their sons and daughters, during the monthly and bimonthly encounters in the schools, under the responsibility of the Ministry of Education.

h) Recovery of Family Legacies

Work with Boys, Girls, Adolescents and Youth on exercises for the recovery of their family legacies, and tools for improving relationships within the framework of respect for the Child Development Centers in the preschools, Primary and Secondary Schools and Community Spaces under the approach of rearing with tenderness, promoted jointly with the Ministry of the Family, Adolescence and Children, and the Ministry of Education.

i) Culture of Peace and Christianity

Approach Religious Denominations open to joining the Culture of Peace, and adapting already available and validated methodologies and materials in order to work with groups and pastoral work promoted by them. This action will be the responsibility of the Ministry of the Family, Adolescents and Children.

j) Citizen Security Community Work

Promoted by the National Police in the different Territories, offers spaces and opportunities for Dialogue and the Reunification of People, Families and Communities around the Culture of Peace.

Use the Community Work Method promoted from the Citizen Security Program done by the Police for working on Community Security Plans and Reunification Processes. The responsibility of the National Police.

k) Encounter and Promotion of the Culture of Peace

Work on actions of Encounters and Promotion of the Culture of Peace and Co-existence. Fairs for the Promotion of the Culture of Peace. Institutions, Municipal governments, Communities and Territorial Sandinista Leadership Councils responsible.

l) Promotion of the Culture of Peace in the Communications Media

Prepare ongoing Media Plan to promote the Culture of Peace and share with the population the approach of the process for collective construction implicit in the Policy. Communications media.

m) Inter-institutional Team for the implementation of the Policy

Form an Inter-institutional Team composed of the Technical Teams of the Office of Counselors of the Educational Communities of MINED, the Family Counselors of MIFEM, Ministry of Youth, Solidarity Outreach Workers, the Ministry of Health, the National Police so that they might take on the coordination of the implementation of the current Policy. The coordination of this Commission is left the responsibility of the Ministry of the Family, Adolescents and Children.

Work Plan

Week of October 29-31

Configuration of the National Policy Team, with Ministers and Technical Reference persons for each institution

Week of November 5-16

Presentation of the Policy

• Provincial and Municipal Delegates of Institutions
• Municipal Governments
• Sandinista Leadership Council

Week of November 5-16

Configuration of Provincial and Municipal Policy Team, with Ministers. Preparation of Provincial and Municipal Plans for Policy Presentation

December 3

National Launch of the Policy in the National Congress for the promotion of the Culture of Peace. Heads of the Ministries.

December 2018

Preparation of the joint Work Plan for 2019. National Policy Team responsible.

Ongoing

Follow up and monitoring of the implementation of the Policy. National Policy team responsible.

 

 

 

PRESS RELEASE- BISHOPS CONFERENCE OF NICARAGUA 

April 24, 2018

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (Phil 2)

“The love of Christ urges us” (II Cor 5,14)

The Bishops Conference of Nicaragua, after praying, listening and asking for the light of the Holy Spirit:

Accepts being “mediator and witness” to the dialogue convoked by the President of the Republic of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega Saavadra, on Sunday April 22 of this year, in the face of the very serious situations that the Nicaraguan nation have experienced and that have worsened in the last week.

In order to facilitate the climate for dialogue we think it is essential and imperative that the Government as well as each member of civil society: avoid all acts of violence, of disrespect for public and private property and that a serene climate prevail and one of absolute respect for the human lives of each and every Nicaraguan.

We hope that, with a sincere spirit and willingness to help the country and find the paths for the peace that rests on justice, equity and law, different brother and sister Nicaraguans painfully in conflict and civil society would accept us as mediators and witnesses. We leave ourselves awaiting your respective acceptances.

Putting our nation and hearts at the feet of the Lord and the maternal intercession and protection of the Most Holy Virgin May, and trusting ourselves to the prayers of the people of Nicaragua, we want to make our closeness and prayers as servants of the Lord reach each one of you, in the name of our priests, religious brothers and sisters, especially to the families of the dead, wounded and those affected by this conflict.

BISHOPS CONFERENCE OF NICARAGUA ON THE NATIONAL DIALOGUE:  MAY 3, 2018

…The Episcopal Conference last Tuesday April 24 in the afternoon issued a statement where it accepted to be the Mediator and Witness to the dialogue, proposing to the government the need to create an environment and basic and ideal conditions to establish said dialogue, among which would be the liberation of the youth; withdrawing the paramilitary forces, police and anti-riot police from the demonstrators; the freedom of expression and the press; the publication of a new presidential decree that would revoke the previous decree that had done reforms on the INSS and that hurt the Nicaraguan people; the search for the disappeared, for which the Government asked us for a list of names, and Human Rights groups have provided us with preliminary lists; an open agenda for sectors directly involved in the dialogue and an initial proposal from those sectors with some actors.

We the Bishops of Nicaragua have believed it helpful that after one month of having started the National Dialogue we will call a halt to assess the willingness, the implementation and the serious and real fulfillment that the parties have shown. If we the Bishops of the Episcopal Conference of Nicaragua evaluate that these steps are not being taken, we would inform the people of God who we are accompanying and would tell them that this cannot continue in this way, and that it was not able to be done. We also believe that the objective of this National Dialogue must be “reviewing the political system of Nicaragua from it roots, to achieve an authentic democracy.” We also believe that the topic of the painful deaths suffered during the university demonstrations must be thoroughly clarified. We make a call to the university students to finish organizing themselves as soon as possible and set their agenda and their representatives. Likewise to be attentive to groups outside the student movement who are acting aggressively, sowing confusion. The place of the National Dialogue, which we think should be installed as soon as possible, will be Our Lady of Fatima Interdiocesan Seminary . We ask all the sectors that are involved in this National Dialogue to make a public pronouncement providing their respective support to the people proposed to participate directly in the dialogue, choose their agenda to be proposed in the plenary session and open our hearts to good will so that “the questions opened might be peacefully resolved and with a sense of responsibility,” as Pope Francisco encouraged in the Angelus on Sunday Aprill 22, 2018.

PRESS RELEASE May 31, 2018

To the People of God and men and women of good will:

1. We the Bishops of the Episcopal Conference of Nicaragua have experienced with profound pain the violent events carried out last night by armed groups allied with the government against the civilian population. We energetically condemn all these violent acts against the exercise of peaceful free demonstrations and we absolutely reject this organized and systemic aggression against the people, which has left dozens of wounded and some people dead.
2. We cannot continue allowing this inhumane violence “that destroys the lives of the innocent, that teaches to kill and equally disrupts the lives of those who kill, that leaves behind a trail of resentment and hate, and makes more difficult the just solution of the very problems that caused it” (Centesimus Annus, 52).
3. We the Bishops of the Episcopal Conference condemn these acts of repression on the part of groups close to the government, and we want to leave clear that the National Dialogue cannot be renewed as long as the people of Nicaragua continue being denied the right to freely demonstrate and continue being repressed and murdered.
4. At this moment in which the history of our country continues being stained with blood, we cry out to Jesus Crucified, who on resurrecting from the dead conquered evil and death with the strength of his infinite love. “Oh, Cross of Christ, we teach that the dawn of the sun is stronger than the darkness of night. Oh Cross of Christ, we teach that the apparent victory of evil fades in the face of the empty tomb and in the face of the certainty of the Resurrection and the love of God, which nothing can defeat or darken or weaken” (Pope Francis, Holy Friday 2016). That Mary, the grieving Virgin, whose heart was pierced by a sword in the face of the pain of her Son on the Cross (Lk 2:35), consoles so many Nicaraguan mothers who suffer over the murder of their sons and watch over all our people with maternal love.

Issued in the city of Managua on the thirty first day of the month of May of the the two thousand eighteenth year of the Lord.

PRESS RELEASE OF THE BISHOPS CONFERENCE OF NICARAGUA: June 6, 2018

We the Bishops of the Episcopal Conference of Nicaragua, as mediators and witnesses to the National Dialogue, inform the Nicaraguan people that after listening to several sectors of national and international society, we are asking the President of the Republic of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega Savaadrea, for a meeting to deal with the issues so indispensable and essential for our country, concerning justice and democracy, on which peace always depends, with the purpose of assessing in the plenary session of the Dialogue the helpfulness of carrying it forward.

This meeting has been accepted by the President, it will be tomorrow Thursday June 7 at 3:00pm in la Casa de los Pueblos.

After that meeting, we will be reporting to the national and international community about the dialogue. For that reason we are inviting the press to a conference at 7:00pm on that same day in the Our Lady of Fatima seminary.

We ask our faithful to intensify their prayers for the success of that conversation.

In our office, Wednesday June 6, 2018, Year of the Lord.

PRESS RELEASE OF THE BISHOPS CONFERENCE OF NICARAGUA: June 7, 2018

We the Bishops of the Bishop´s Conference of Nicaragua communicate to the Nicaraguan people, that we have finished our conversation with the President of the Republic.

We have done it as pastors of the people of God who have entrusted this to us seeking new horizons for our Country.

The dialogue with the President happened in an environment of serenity, frankness and sincerity, where we set out to the President the pain and anguish of the people in the face of the violence suffered in recent weeks, and the agenda agreed upon in the Plenary of the National Dialogue on the democratization of the country.

We have handed him the proposal that brings together the sentiments of many sectors of Nicaraguan society, and expresses the longing of the immense majority of the population. We are awaiting his response in writing as soon as possible.

Once the President of the Republic has responded to us formally, we will call for a meeting of the Plenary of the National Dialogue to assess that response and therefore the feasibility of continuing the National Dialogue.

In the Seminary of Our Lady of Fatima, on the 7^th day of June of 2018, Year of the Lord.

[Bishops signatures follow]

PRESS RELEASE OF THE BISHOPS CONFERENCE OF NICARAGUA: June 13, 2018

We the Bishops of the Bishops Conference of Nicaragua wish all Nicaraguans grace and peace from God Our Father.

At the same time we want to inform you that yesterday on Tuesday we received the response of the President of the Republic to the proposals, that, bringing together the feeling of diverse sectors of society and the immense majority of the Nicaraguan people, we had presented to him in the encounter we had last Thursday June 7^th.

Therefore we are convoking the Plenary Session of the National Dialogue for next Friday June 15^th at 10am in the Our Lady of Fatima seminary. At that roundtable we will be revealing to the national and international community the proposal that we presented to the President, and the letter that he has sent us with his proposal, which we will submit to debate to seek a consensus that would respond to the desires for justice, democratization and peace for the people.

We thank the Nicaraguans who trust in the mediation that we are doing and the international community that has supported us in this work, that we do as pastors of the people of God, entrusted to us, and who we accompany in their sorrows, sufferings, hopes and desires to build a country im peace, justice and freedom.

We ask the faithful people to continue praying for us and for all of our country.

In our offices, on the thirteenth day of the month of June in 2018, year of the Lord.

[Signatures of the Bishops]

Release # 1 United to Dialogue Monday, May 14th, 2018

Together, representatives of students, the countrymen movement, the civil society and the Nicaraguan private sector, we reiterate our willingness to attend to the National Dialogue, although we agree with the Episcopal Conference of Nicaragua that the circumstances for such dialogue are not ideal.

We demand the immediate cessation of repression, attack and siege by the government through their paramilitary groups against the population and we categorically affirm that we do not accept their blackmail or the intentions that soften our positions.

We reiterate our solidarity with the population and with all the sectors that continue to peacefully express their rights and that are being violently repressed, accumulating the balance of the dead and wounded.

Rest assured that we are going to defend our rights and we exhort to continue in the peaceful fight, until we see the demands of the Nicaraguan people fulfilled.—-

Release # 2 The National Dialogue is the way for a just and democratic Nicaragua- Managua, May 25th, 2018

We, the Civic Alliance for Justice and Democracy, reiterate our trustfulness in the National Dialogue and in the Episcopal Conference of Nicaragua as mediators and witnesses. The National Dialogue is the path towards democratization and justice, with economic dignity, but with rights. It is also the way to achieve justice for the victims of repression.

With that said, we consider:

1. The National Dialogue is the path; a sign of this is the agreement between the government and the civic alliance to make the recommendations of the preliminary report of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) as their own. From this agreement on, the government committed to a follow-up mechanism with the IACHR to verify the implementation of the recommendations on a concrete calendar of new visits. We consider indispensable the formation of this follow-up commission.

2. The IACHR adopted a precautionary measure to protect the rights of members of the student’s movement and their families in Nicaragua, so we demand that the State of Nicaragua adopts the necessary measures for its immediate implementation.

3. We ask all the actors of the National Dialogue for their good faith so that in the mixed commission of six people, three for each party, it will be able to reach the agenda agreement to achieve the objective of a dialogue to review the political system of Nicaragua from its roots to achieve an authentic democracy

4. We support and will continue to participate in civic and peaceful protests, acknowledging them as a legitimate right of the Nicaraguan society. We reiterate in the importance of immediate cessation to repression of the protesters and the arbitrary detention of those who participate in the protests. This dialogue, result of a fight led by the people of Nicaragua and that unfortunately left the loss of several dozen lives, is the path to be able to reach the Nicaragua that we want and in which we must all live.

University and Civil Society Coalition

AmCham, Funides, Faganic, Caribbean Coast, National Council in Defense of Our Land, Lake and Sovereignty – Country Movement, COSEP, Upanic, Civil society— Managua, May 25th, 2018

Release # 3 Committed to the dialogue for the Democratization of Nicaragua– Managua, May 27th, 2018

The members of the Civic Alliance for Justice and Democracy we reiterate that dialogue is the path towards democratization and justice in Nicaragua and that it is important to contribute to a propitious climate to return to the dialogue. Until now, the government has not complied with two basic conditions for dialogue, such as the cessation of repression and the dismantling of the para-police forces.

The Government has tried to block the National Dialogue through a dilatory strategy, criminalizing the protests, and ignoring the deep causes that provoke them.

We reiterate our solidarity with the Nicaraguan people whom continue to express themselves peacefully in defense of their rights. We invite all sectors to join the different peaceful demonstrations of protest. On Wednesday, May 30th, we will join the tribute to the Mothers of April; we will participate in the march that will depart at 2:00 p.m. from the Jean Paul Genie roundabout. This march, like the rest of the departmental expressions, should be a strong demonstration of unity against repression and injustice.

The Civic Alliance for Justice and Democracy, reiterates the trustfulness in the Episcopal Conference of Nicaragua as mediator and witness, and repudiates the threats against its members and the Church in general.

We reaffirm our commitment to join efforts to make more flexible the road blockages, organized by Nicaraguan citizens, as an expression of civic protest, as long as the Government commits to resume the dialogue in a genuine manner about the country’s democratization agenda.

The National Dialogue is the path towards democratization and justice, with economic dignity, but with rights. It is also the way to achieve justice for the victims of state repression. We must look after and return to the dialogue, which is the result of a struggle led by the people of Nicaragua that has unfortunately has left and continues to leave the lost of several dozen lives. The Dialogue is the way to reach the Nicaragua we want and in which we must all live.

University and Civil Society Coalition: AmCham, Funides, Faganic, Caribbean Coast, National Council in Defense of Our Land, Lake and Sovereignty – Country Movement, COSEP, Upanic, Civil society –Managua, May 27th, 2018

Release # 4 They will not move us–Managua, May 31st, 2018

Throughout the last few days we have shown our determination to seek a peaceful solution to the serious crisis in which the intransigence of the Ortega Murillo regime has plunged the country in. At the time, we agreed to go to a National Dialogue despite the fact that there were no conditions or political will of the regime, which is expressed in time lost in sterile discussions without entering into the main themes of the dialogue: Justice and Democratization.

From the last April, Nicaragua and the Nicaraguans have changed irreversibly. Until then we were made to believe that we lived in a country of peace, security and progress. But in one single night of violence and rampant repression, arise the country that was hiding from us and that had been silenced by repression and the use of the National Police and para-police forces

These protests arose and its sole objective is to build a real country, with peace, democracy, justice. No lies, no cheating, no manipulation and no repression. As has been evidenced in multitudinous manifestations, this is a genuine desire of the immense majority of the Nicaraguan people.

The regime’s attempt to delegitimize and criminalize this protest is a clear violation of the rights of freedom of expression, free mobilization and we hold the government responsible for any act of repression that has its origin in these threats. They have threatened not only members of this alliance, but also members of the Episcopal Conference of Nicaragua.

This desire for change and to build a democratic country by peaceful means and through dialogue, have had as response from the regime, the worst massacre in times of peace, massacre that has left more than 100 dead, more than a thousand injured, thousands of detainees, hundreds of tortured and disappeared, censorship of the media and other acts of intimidation and harassment that resulted in numerous violations of human rights, confirm in strong reports issued by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and by Amnesty International (AI).

We continue to believe that the National Dialogue it still is a way to find a peaceful way out to the current crisis. However, after the last events, it will only be possible to continue dialoguing if the conditions set by the Episcopal Conference of Nicaragua are fulfilled and if there are independent international guarantors.

The mass mobilizations in Managua and other cities of the country on Mother’s Day are a reflection of the feelings of thousands of Nicaraguans who cry for the restoration of justice and democracy and a sign of the spirit that we must keep alive to redouble efforts in all the fronts. First, to unmask the true nature of this regime, and second, to reaffirm that it is we, the people of Nicaragua, who have in our hands the construction of the Nicaragua that we all desire without exclusion and with dignity.

From this Alliance, which unites students, farmers, workers, civil society, the private sector and the Caribbean Coast, we call on intensifying the different forms of peaceful protest:

• Intensify and organize the fight for university autonomy.

• Reinforce and organize the road blocks and plantings, as well as denounce the road blocks organized by the regime.

• Strengthen centers for the collection of medicines, donations of blood and food.

• Reinforce the different expressions of solidarity and support that never cease to amaze us.

We acknowledge as a very positive step the pronouncement of the main representatives of the private sector that join the demand for a quick, just and democratic exit from the Ortega Murillo regime.

We raise our demands to the international instances so that all the legal mechanisms are activated to protect and save Nicaragua from the repressive government that we have. We welcome the joint resolution of the European Parliament condemning the acts of repression, as well as the communication from the Congress of Deputies of Costa Rica, among other expressions of solidarity.

We demand that the regime permit the presence in Nicaragua of the United Nations High Commissioner for the Office of the Rapporteur for Human Rights and compliance with recommendation 15 of the Preliminary Observations of the Working Visit of the IACHR to Nicaragua, which states: “Commit to a follow-up mechanism with the IACHR to verify the implementation of the recommendations issued in the framework of this visit, and the report thereof. Schedule a concrete calendar with the IACHR for new visits ”

We demand from President Ortega the immediate cessation of the actions of the para-police forces, organized by the regime, to stop the violence that every day stains Nicaragua with blood. We are not for speeches, nor for beautiful words, we do demand concrete actions that shown that they want a peaceful solution to the crisis, as well as respect for life and the end to repression.

University and Civil Society Coalition: AmCham, Funides, Faganic, Caribbean Coast, National Council in Defense of Our Land, Lake and Sovereignty – Countrymen Movement, COSEP, Upanic, Civil society –Managua, May 31st, 2018

Release # 5 No to the criminalization of civic protest–Managua, June 6th, 2018

Tie together a civic protest with criminal and terrorist networks is condemnable and regrettable. This criminalization comes from the State of Nicaragua, which, according to the preliminary observations of the work visit of the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights (IACHR) “According with hundreds of testimonies, the repression was carried out by the National Police, its anti-riot forces and para-police groups, which would have acted with the support of state agents” The same report has repeatedly urged to the cease of the repression against the civic protest that began in Nicaragua last April.

These serious violations of Human Rights, reflected in the preliminary observations of the work visit of the IACHR, have been “characterized by the excessive use of force by state security forces and armed third parties.”

This fight, led by the students, to which the people of Nicaragua have joined and has left a balance – to date – of more than 127 dead, 1000 wounded and an undetermined number of disappeared and tortured.

Given this, we condemn the criminalization of civic protest among them the cases of Felix Maradiaga, Aníbal Toruño of Radio Darío, Brandon Cristhofer Lovo Taylor and Glen Slate, unjustly prosecuted for the murder of the journalist Ángel Gahona. We urge the State of Nicaragua not to make the criminalization of protest a state policy that threatens hundreds of young Nicaraguan citizens, students and countrymen, among others.

Today more than ever it is important that the State of Nicaragua full fills the recommendations of the IACHR, and in this specific case with recommendation number four: “Guarantee the life, integrity and security of all the people who are demonstrating and exercising their rights and public freedoms and suffering the consequences of the atmosphere of repression, especially the students, girls, boys and adolescents “.

This Alliance will continue to give voice to the demands of Nicaraguans who demand justice and democracy for the nation. The Democratization will happen by guaranteeing as quickly as possible the installation of a transparent, inclusive and independent electoral system, independence of the State Powers and recovery of the country’s institutions. Democratization is not only built through free elections.

University and Civil Society Coalition: AmCham, Funides, Faganic, Caribbean Coast, National Council in Defense of Our Land, Lake and Sovereignty – Countrymen Movement, COSEP, Upanic, Civil society

Release # 6 Pronouncement on the National Dialogue–Managua, June 8th, 2018

The Civic Alliance for Justice and Democracy reaffirms that the National Dialogue is part of the integral fight of the Nicaraguan people and we will continue to peacefully self- convocate in defense of our rights.

It reiterates its full confidence in the Episcopal Conference of Nicaragua as mediator and witness of the National Dialogue. We will continue participating in the National Dialogue for being the civic road towards democratization and justice and achieving the Nicaragua we want and in which we must all live together.

It considers that the Democratization agenda, elaborated with the contributions sent to the Mediation Commission by the parts of this Alliance present in the National Dialogue, points the way to the recovery of democratic institutionality, the Rule of Law and the respect for Humans Rights that we, all sectors of the Nicaraguan people, claim.

It expresses its willingness to return to the plenary session of the dialogue table as long as the brutal repression against the people by the Ortega Murillo regime ceases .immediately and definitively. The protests and civic demonstrations are the exercise of rights guaranteed by our own Political Constitution.

The Alliance expresses its full support to the measures of self-defense adopted by those of us whom participate in civic protests to protect ourselves from the aggressions to which we are subjected off by police, para-police and mobs agreeing with the government, keeping us within the framework of respect to Human Rights and private property.

University and Civil Society Coalition : AmCham,  Funides,  Faganic, Caribbean Coast Civil society,  National Council in Defense of Our Land, Lake and Sovereignty – Countrymen Movement,  COSEP, Upanic

Release #7 A National Strike for our future- Managua, June 12, 2018

First of all we want to express our condolences to the Nicaraguan family. We embrace each citizen, each mother, each father, son daughter. Each sister and each brother. Each member of the families of the heroes of this national civic protest. We recognize the effort of each person in this civic struggle. The women who have stopped the riot police with pots, flags and their courage.

56 days have gone by since this civic struggle began and in which more than 147 lives have been lost, hundreds of people wounded, arrested, and disappeared. We, as members of the Civic Alliance for Justice and Democracy, given the extreme conditions that Nicaragua is experiencing, in solidarity with the victims and recognizing the right to legitimate forms of defense, we have decided:

• To call a 24 hour National Strike starting at zero hour Thursday June 14 and ending at 11:59pm at night that same day. We urge all owners of businesses, small and medium business people, independent professionals and self owned businesses to close their establishments and cease activities.

This is a civic, national and peaceful strike that includes the entire country and all economic activities, except those related to the preservation of life and the coverage of basic services for the population.

We urge employers to respect the decision of the workers to join this national and peaceful civic strike.

We urge public employees, whose dignity has been trampled by a repressive government that massively do not show up for their work placements. If all of you do it together, they will not be able to take reprisals against you.

• We demand of the President of the Republic an immediate response to the Bishop´s Conference of Nicaragua about the renewal of the National Dialogue. As we have said repeatedly, the dialogue is the path to review the political system of Nicaragua from its roots in order to achieve authentic democracy and justice. Dialogue within the framework of respect for life and the rights of Nicaraguans to express themselves civically. Once again, we reiterate support to the Nicaraguan Bishops Conference in their role as mediators and witnesses.
• Likewise, we reiterate the importance of remaining in the streets civically and peacefully.
• We are against any type of repression and abuse of life. We reiterate the importance of life, preservation of Human Rights, and respect for personal integrity and human dignity.

Only the concerted civic action of everyone will ensure the success of this legitimate action aimed at pointing out and stopping the violence and repression. The objective of this national strike is to support the National Dialogue mediated by the Bishop´s Conference of Nicaragua and demanding the immediate end to the violence and repression.

University and Civil Society Coalition : AmCham,  Funides,  Faganic, Caribbean Coast,  National Council in Defense of Our Land, Lake and Sovereignty – Countrymen Movement,  COSEP, Upanic