Updates Archive – D
- Subject: Appeals Court Rules for Dorothy
Date: Sat, 27 Jan 2001 20:19:55 -0800
From: Jill Winegardner
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UPDATE AND ACTION ALERT
IN SUPPORT OF DOROTHY GRANADA
AND THE WOMEN'S CLINIC OF MULUKUKU
www.PeaceHost.net/Dorothy
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January 27, 2001
DEAR FRIENDS of Dorothy Granada and the Women's Clinic in Mulukuku,
We are happy to report new victories for Dorothy and for the struggle to
allow Nicaragua's non-profit groups to continue their life-giving work. And
we continue to hear that our letters and faxes are essential in keeping the
pressure on the Nicaraguan government to relent in its attacks on Dorothy
and the NGO's (non governmental organizations).
This message is divided into four sections:
1) Update;
2) Analysis;
3) Suggested Actions;
and 4) Contact Numbers.
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1) UPDATE:
1) UPDATE:
· THE APPEALS COURT RULES IN DOROTHY'S FAVOR. Late Friday afternoon, a
Nicaraguan Appeals Court gave its long awaited opinion on the Aleman
administration's attempts to detain and deport Dorothy Granada. By a 2 to
1 vote, they ruled illegal the threats to detain Dorothy and ordered the
Minister of Internal Affairs and the Chief of the National Police to
respect her liberty and personal safety.
The Appeals Court's decision, though it is being seen as very positive for
Dorothy Granada, was slightly mixed. Although it supported a lower court
judge's ruling that Dorothy's due process rights were violated when she was
ordered deported without a hearing, it stated that the judge had
overstepped his authority when he ruled the deportation order was null and
void. Commenting on this apparent contradiction, El Nuevo Diario said in
its Saturday edition, "According to the judges, the Government can expel
her but not capture her (?)"
http://www.elnuevodiario.com.ni/archivo/2001/enero/27-enero-2001/nacional/nacional3.html
Dorothy's lawyers are now filing an injunction to block the administrative
order to deport her. Meanwhile, Dorothy remains in hiding but in excellent
spirits and hopeful that she will soon walk freely in Nicaragua.
· THOUSANDS MARCH TO DEMAND A STOP TO THE HARASSMENT OF THE NGO'S. On
Thursday, as many as ten thousand people from all parts of Nicaragua
marched through Managua, calling on the government of Arnold Alemán to
respect their human rights and end the war on nongovernmental organizations
which are trying to meet people's needs. The march included campesinos and
campesinas, union members, all branches of the women's movement, and
representatives of all the NGO's. The marchers began at the University of
Central America, marched past the new cathedral, then to the Ministry of
Internal Affairs, on to the National Assembly and then finally to the
President's offices.
Seven hundred Mulukukeños trucked in for the march and Grethel Sequiera,
community organizer from Mulukukú, led the rally, calling for President
Alemán to open his heart and let the people of the affected communities
work and struggle for a better life. Leaders of the march demanded an end
to the harassment of the NGO Nochari and the Cooperative Maria Luisa Ortiz
(of which Dorothy's health clinic is a part), both of which have been
closed by the government.
http://www.elnuevodiario.com.ni/archivo/2001/enero/26-enero-2001/nacional/nacional6.html
· MINISTER OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS JOSE MARENCO CONTINUES WAR AGAINST NGO'S,
according to Ana Quiros, president of the civil society organization
Coordinadora Civil, who was interviewed in Saturday's El Nuevo Diario
(1/27/01). Ms. Quiroza criticized the attitude of the Minister of Internal
Affairs, José Marenco, saying that by reiterating his intent to deport
Dorothy, he is taking a step backwards in the relationship between the
NGO's and the government.
Quiros did say there are ongoing discussions between the government and
leaders of civil society and such a meeting will take place this coming
week. Points discussed included the regulating the NGO's, utilizing a
bipartite commission to inspect the legality of all the NGO's in the
country. Also on the agenda are the cases of the two closed organizations,
Nochari and the cooperative in Mulukuku.
http://www.elnuevodiario.com.ni/archivo/2001/enero/27-enero-2001/nacional/nacional14.html
· INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT FOR DOROTHY AND NGO's. On January 17 in Madrid,
Spain, the civil society organizations of Nicaragua made public the
situation of the NGO's to diverse organizations of civil society and to the
group of NGO's of the G-5 countries. On hearing the cases of Mulukukú and
Nochari, the representatives of human rights organizations and other social
organizations of Central America, the European Union, the United States,
and Canada participating in the meeting "Central America Two Years after
Hurricane Mitch" issued a statement that expressed the following:
"The defense of the right to freely organize is one of the great principles
on which democracy rests, and therefore it is hard to conceive that at the
beginning of this century, this type of violation of human rights still
persists by a government whose words negate its actions."
The statement continued on to "condemn the government of Arnoldo Alemán for
its antidemocratic and disrespectful attitude toward the organizations
Nochari and Maria Luisa Ortiz Cooperative." It stated that the intervention
against these social organizations "signifies an attack against the lives
of hundreds of campesino families" and promised international actions for
justice if needed. The document calls for the government to respect the
life of Dorothy Granada and to permit her to continue her work with the poor.
http://www.elnuevodiario.com.ni/archivo/2001/enero/27-enero-2001/nacional/nacional14.html
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2) ANALYSIS:
These new victories bolster the struggle for human rights on many levels.
· The Appeals Court decision represents an important step in the efforts to
restore Dorothy's rights to live without threat of detention in Nicaragua.
She is hopeful the injunction against the deportation order will further
assure her safety and ability to return to work.
· The organizations closed down by the government, Nochari and the Maria
Luisa Ortiz Cooperative, benefit substantially from the national and
international focus on Dorothy as the symbol of the human rights of the
poorest.
· The attacks on these two groups are only the first battles in a war on
NGO's in Nicaragua. To the degree that we are successful in repelling these
attacks, we protect and support all of the other groups at risk for attack.
At best, we can perhaps help prevent the war from exploding and expanding.
· Nicaragua is not the only country at jeopardy for the rights of the
poorest to be abused by those in power. With our actions for Dorothy, we
empower ourselves and we remind the world that basic human rights cannot be
trampled with impunity.
· There appears to be a deeply personal and irrational element to the
Nicaraguan government's commitment to rid the country of Dorothy. So far
President Alemán and his Minister of Internal Affairs, José Marenco, have
responded to every show of support for Dorothy, every vindication of her,
and every ruling in her favor as if they had not occurred. Their message
seems to be that they are not beholden to the rule of law or to national
and international public opinion. We can anticipate this will be how they
respond to the Appeals Court ruling, especially since it is not necessarily
a "clean" victory for Dorothy.
What is needed at this moment is a blizzard of faxes to Nicaragua, to
President Alemán, to his right hand man, José Marenco, to the Nicaraguan
Embassy in Washington, and to the U.S. Embassy. We are at a turning point
and need to keep our momentum strong.
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3) SUGGESTED ACTIONS:
· DOROTHY ASKS US TO MAINTAIN THE PRESSURE ON BOTH GOVERNMENTS to do the
right thing. We hear that the US Ambassador now has a four inch thick file
of faxes from around the world. He bundles them up and takes them to the
Nicaraguan government to justify the ongoing role of the U.S. in advocating
for Dorothy.
· CONTACT YOUR SENATORS AND REPRESENTATIVES AGAIN! The NPR story last
Tuesday has renewed the interest of congressional offices, several of whom
have called our support committee this week to tell us that the Dear
Colleague letter is circulating and asking how else they can help.
Ask them to contact the U.S. State Department and U.S. Ambassador Garza in
Managua. Most Senators and Representative made "inquiries" the first time
around. By now, after multiple investigations have failed to support a
single accusation against Dorothy Granada, it is time for our government to
say "hands off Dorothy and the Women's Clinic in Mulukukú."
***We are collecting the names and e-mail addresses of the aides in every
Congressional office who are handling inquiries about Dorothy. If you have
this information for your Senator or Representative, we would very much
appreciate your sending it on to us. Thanks!
· FAX OR CALL U.S. AMBASSADOR GARZA YOURSELF. Let them know that you
expect them to protect the human rights of a U.S. citizen carrying out
humanitarian work.
· ARNOLDO ALEMAN AND JOSE MARENCO, Nicaragua's President and Minister of
Internal Affairs, are the ones behind all of this. As intransigent as they
seem to be, they are not immune to pressure. They need to continue to hear
from us.
· If your letters are in Spanish, you can send copies, by fax or email, to
the two Nicaraguan dailies, La Prensa and El Nuevo Diario.
· EMERGENCY FUNDS continue to be very important to the success of this
battle for human rights. Those wishing to contribute funds to help with
Dorothy's emergency expenses can make checks out to St. Boniface Episcopal
Church, mark them "Emergency Fund," and send them to the Women's
Empowerment Network, 309 Cedar, PMB 547, Santa Cruz, CA 95060.
Contributions are tax-deductible.
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4) CONTACT NUMBERS
U.S. Ambassador Oliver Garza at the U.S. Embassy in Managua
Tel: 011-505-266-6010
Fax: 011-505-266-3865
E-mail: garzaop@amemb.org.ni
President Arnoldo Aleman
Fax: 011-505-228-7911
Ingeniero Jose Bosco Marenco Cardenal, Ministro de Gobernacion (Internal Affairs)
Fax: 011-505-222-7778
The Honorable Alfonso Ortega, Ambassador
Embassy of Nicaragua
1627 New Hampshire Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20009
Telephone: (202) 939-6570
Fax: (202) 939-6542
La Prensa
info@laprensa.com.ni
Fax: 011-505-249-6928
El Nuevo Diario
info@elnuevodiario.com.ni
fchamorro@elnuevodiario.com.ni
Fax: 011-505-249-0700
Tel: 011-505-249-6501
Please let us know of your progress and/or send us copies of your letters
by email or fax.
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HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIGNITY FOR ALL,
Jill Winegardner and Gerry Condon
Santa Cruz Support Committee for Dorothy Granada
and the Women's Clinic in Mulukuku
(Women's Empowerment Network)
Tel/fax: 831-768-7004
Jill Winegardner
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end of update of 1/27/01
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- Subject: ACT NOW FOR DOROTHY !!
Date: Wed, 31 Jan 2001 01:44:41 -0800
From: Gerry Condon
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UPDATE AND ACTION ALERT
IN SUPPORT OF DOROTHY GRANADA
AND THE WOMEN'S CLINIC OF MULUKUKU
www.PeaceHost.net/Dorothy
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January 30, 2001
DEAR FRIENDS,
A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY NOW EXISTS to put maximum pressure on President
Arnoldo Aleman to respect the human rights of Dorothy Granada and the women
of Mulukukú. Rep. Sam Farr (D-CA) and Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) are
circulating a new "Dear Colleague" letter in the House of Representatives.
It asks members of Congress to sign a second letter addressed directly to
President Aleman. But they have only two days, Wednesday and Thursday
(Jan. 31 and Feb 1) to do so, since we want to deliver this letter to
President Alemán on Friday, the same day we are hoping for further legal
relief for Dorothy.
ON WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY WE MUST TRY TO GET OUR MEMBERS OF CONGRESS TO
SIGN THIS LETTER! For more details and other good news, please read on!
This message is divided into four sections:
1) Update;
2) Analysis;
3) Suggested Actions;
and 4) Contact Numbers.
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1) UPDATE:
· THE APPEALS COURT ruling last Friday, though largely in Dorothy's favor,
is ambiguous and inconsistent. It calls on the government and the police
to respect Dorothy's freedom and liberty, in other words, not to arrest or
detain her. Yet it fails to remove the deportation order against her.
Nicaraguan press reports have indicated that intense pressure from
President Arnoldo Alemán was the cause of this confusing verdict.
· NOT SURPRISINGLY, Internal Affairs Minister José Marenco wasted no time
in announcing to the media that Dorothy will definitely be deported.
· DOROTHY REMAINS "UNAVAILABLE," as she prefers to say, but she is in good
health, and is upbeat and optimistic.
· DOROTHY'S LAWYERS have initiated two additional legal actions aimed at
removing the deportation order. The more important one is a motion
submitted to an administrative court seeking an injunction blocking the
deportation order. That court is supposed to rule by Friday. An appeal
has also been filed with the Nicaraguan Supreme Court arguing that the
Appeals Court has not finished its job and should support the lower court
decision nullifying the deportation order.
· U.S. AMBASSADOR OLIVER GARZA SPEAKS OUT. For the first time since
Dorothy's house was surrounded by 14 armed men on December 8th, the U.S.
Ambassador to Nicaragua is publicly expressing his concern for Dorothy.
Ambassador Oliver Garza said he would observe "with a scapula" the course
of Dorothy's situation. "We have to assure that the rights of whatever
North American citizen are protected, and that they are given the process
they deserve under the laws of the country," Garza stated during a
diplomatic event, according to El Nuevo Diario (1/30/01).
U.S. Embassy sources have told us that calls and letters, ESPECIALLY FROM
MEMBERS OF CONGRESS, will greatly help them to press their case with the
Nicaraguan government.
· MARENCO CAUGHT IN SCANDAL. Meanwhile, José Marenco Cardenal, Nicaragua's
Minister for Internal Affairs, and Dorothy's key tormentor, has been caught
in a scandal of his own. Today's El Nuevo Diario (1/30/01) reports that
not only did he give a high paying job ($3,500 a month) to his sister-in
law from Mexico, but her co-workers claim she told them they will lose
their jobs if they do not vote for the Liberal Party. Minister of
Immigration José Rivas was recently forced to step down from his post after
U.S. accusations of his involvement in the traffic of immigrants. He has
now assumed a lower post working for … Minister of Internal Affairs, José
Marenco.
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2) ANALYSIS:
· THE APPEALS COURT DECISION represents an important step in the efforts to
restore Dorothy's rights to live without threat of persecution in
Nicaragua. This protection may be shored up considerably in the coming
days by an injunction against the deportation order, thus further assuring
her freedom and her ability to return to work in Mulukukú.
· AGAINST THE DETERMINED ABUSE of the executive power of the Nicaraguan
state, Dorothy Granada has amassed a stunning array of political support,
legal and moral victories She and the Women's Clinic of Mulukukú have been
vindicated by every police investigation, by every human rights
investigation, and now, in the main, by the Nicaraguan courts. She has won
widespread sympathy and applause in Nicaragua, the United States and
internationally. And thanks to your great work, it now appears that the
U.S. government itself is poised to weigh in on her behalf.
· THIS MAY WELL BE THE MOMENT where we can secure a significant victory on
behalf of human rights and democracy in Nicaragua. The Congressional
sign-on letter to President Alemán being circulated in Congress Wednesday
and Thursday may strengthen the hand of U.S. Ambassador Garza to advocate
unequivocally for Dorothy's right to remain working in Nicaragua. A
seasoned diplomat, he is now saying that he does not yet have a fixed
position on this issue, but that he is watching very closely. We need to
help him do the right thing.
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3) SUGGESTED ACTIONS:
· CALL YOUR MEMBERS OF CONGRESS TODAY! ASK THEM TO SIGN ON TO THE
CONGRESSIONAL LETTER TO PRESIDENT ALEMAN.
In the House of Representatives this effort is being coordinated by the
offices of Rep. Sam Farr (D-CA) and Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA). We are
talking with the offices of several Senators and hope to see a similar
effort launched in the Senate as early as tomorrow. There are two letters:
a "Dear Colleague" letter explaining the plight of Dorothy Granada and
asking members of Congress to please sign the second letter, which is
addressed to Nicaraguan President Arnoldo Alemán.
For more information on the Congressional sign-on letter, see the
Congressional offices listed under Contact Numbers, below. The letters
have been posted here on our website @:
IMPORTANT LETTERS
You can also receive the Congressional sign-on letters by emailing or
calling our urgent action office.
jwinegardner@igc.org
(831) 768-7004
· If your Senator or Representative cannot sign the Congressional letter,
for whatever reason, ask them to be directly contact U.S. Ambassador Oliver
Garza (see Contact Numbers below).
· We are collecting the names and e-mail addresses of the aides in every
Congressional office who are handling inquiries about Dorothy. If you have
this information for your Senator or Representative, we would very much
appreciate your sending it on to us. Thanks!
· DONATIONS continue to be critical. This extended emergency has been
quite costly. Despite the generosity of many people, funds are still
urgently needed. To make tax-deductible donations, please write checks out
to St. Boniface Episcopal Church, mark them "Emergency Fund," and send them
to the Women's Empowerment Network, 309 Cedar, PMB 547, Santa Cruz, CA 95060.
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4) CONTACT NUMBERS
For Congressional Sign-On Letter Information, put your Representative in
touch with:
Rep. Sam Farr (D-CA)
Contact: Laura Joshua
(202) 225-2861
laura.joshua@mail.house.gov
Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA)
Contact: Jonathan Fremont
(202) 225-1605
jonathan.fremont@mail.house.gov
Send messages of encouragement to:
U.S. Ambassador Oliver Garza
U.S. Embassy in Managua
Tel: 011-505-266-6010
Fax: 011-505-266-3865
E-mail: garzaop@amemb.org.ni
President Arnoldo Aleman
Fax: 011-505-228-7911
Ingeniero Jose Bosco Marenco Cardenal,
Ministro de Gobernación (Internal Affairs)
Fax: 011-505-222-7778
The Honorable Alfonso Ortega, Ambassador
Embassy of Nicaragua
1627 New Hampshire Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20009
Telephone: (202) 939-6570
Fax: (202) 939-6542
La Prensa
www.laprensa.com.ni
info@laprensa.com.ni
Fax: 011-505-249-6928
El Nuevo Diario
www.elnuevodiario.com.ni
info@elnuevodiario.com.ni
fchamorro@elnuevodiario.com.ni
Fax: 011-505-249-0700
Tel: 011-505-249-6501
Please let us know of your progress and/or send us copies of your letters
by email or fax.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIGNITY FOR ALL,
Jill Winegardner and Gerry Condon
Santa Cruz Support Committee for Dorothy Granada
and the Women's Clinic in Mulukuku
(Women's Empowerment Network)
Tel/fax: 831-768-7004
Jill Winegardner
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end of update of 1/30/01
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