Good morning ladies and gentlemen
I’ll begin with a short story
My country, Nicaragua, began the twentieth century with a dictatorship
the 16-year dictatorship of General Zelaya, who was overthrown by an armed uprising in 1909
which led to a foreign military intervention, which lasted until 1933
A year later, the Somoza dictatorship was installed
and was overthrown after a bloody armed rebellion
During the eighties, we suffered another civil war
between Sandinistas and Contras
with the aggravating circumstance that, as a country, we were pawns of the Cold War
Dictatorships. Wars. Foreign military interventions
That’s how the twentieth century went by
After dozens of thousands of deaths, peace finally came in 1990
Tough negotiations between the sides confronted in the war opened the way to peace through elections
That process was the key for a transition that allowed for peace in the country
and lay the foundations of a democratic regime for the first time in our history
I repeat: for the first time in our history
I was born in the eighties, during the revolution
at the heart of a Sandinista family that taught me to respect the ideas of a free man, Augusto Sandino
Ideas that are based on the phrase "Homeland and Freedom"
Being a Sandinista, in a torn society, involved family contradictions
My father, like thousands of others, committed himself to the Sandinista revolution
with the desire to change the history of the country
Unfortunately, his hopes were frustrated because
instead of social justice, progress, and democracy
we sowed war and backwardness
Thirty years after peace, we are the second poorest country in Latin America
Precisely for that reason, I decided to study economics because
thinking as a teenager, I wanted to understand the science of the efficient distribution of resources
and how I could contribute to solving the problems of my nation's poverty
When I graduated as an economist, I bumped with a reality
economists can recommend policy, but those who make the decisions are the politicians
A very beloved neighbor, the Poet Vidaluz Meneses
invited me to a political meeting of the Sandinista Movement for Renovation
I was elected as a deputy in the National Assembly and as a national party leader
I stepped into politics during our country’s democratic erosion
and suffered the brutality of the dismantling of democracy
The party where I served was shut down
I was subject to physical attacks and death threats by the repressive forces of Daniel Ortega's regime
I was arbitrarily ousted from my parliamentary seat
along with 25 other deputies for the crime of opposing an authoritarian regime
The regime had completely taken over power
But, despite this, I’ve renewed and strengthened my compromise to fight for freedom and justice
And here I am, with my dreams undefeated
facing difficult challenges, but with the same passion in my heart like in the first day
Starting in 2007, the year in which Daniel Ortega took office
he began a systematic process of erosion, one by one, of the fundamental pillars of representative democracy
the rule of law was eliminated; the popular will was mocked by repeated electoral frauds
arbitrary removal from office of elected representatives like councilors, mayors, and deputies
the rights and freedoms of citizens were violated, including the right to life
political organizations were outlawed; the independence of the powers of the state was annulled
and the armed forces were subordinated to the personal will of Ortega
We are not talking about an imperfect democracy or competitive authoritarianism
It is plain and simple of a dictatorial regime
Until April 18, the regime had escaped the scrutiny of the international community
governments and international organizations were aware of Ortega's excesses but focused their attention on other countries
That gave the appearance of complacency by the Nicaraguan population
it was usually taken as a sign of support, despite actually being a sign of fear
However, the accrual of economic, political, and social grievances finally exceeded the patience of the people
and a civic and pacific rebellion broke out on April 18, with the youth leading it
The drop that spilled the glass was the imposition of barbaric reforms to our social security system
in practical bankruptcy because of the corrupt management of Ortega's regime
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights offered a crude portrait of the regime
In its report of May 21, it reported 76 people killed, 868 injured
438 arrested, and an unknown number of people missing
It looks like a war report, but there’s no war. And these numbers increase every day
In addition to the murders, injured, and disappearances, the report states verbatim that
there were "illegal and arbitrary arrests; practices of torture, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment
censorship and attacks against the press and other forms of intimidation such as threats
harassment, and persecution aimed at dissolving protests and inhibiting citizen participation."
That is, crimes against humanity
Quite clearly, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights indicates that
repression was carried out by the national police and government-sponsored para-police groups
More brutally, the regime used public hospitals, paid with our taxes, as a means of repression because
according to the same report, doctors refused to receive and treat the wounded due to official instructions
Today in Nicaragua, we celebrate Mother's Day
The whole country took to the streets, joining the mothers who have lost their children
the mothers that don't know where their children are, because they're missing
mothers taking care of the wounded
that's the type of Mother's Day that we're "celebrating" in Nicaragua
Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark
showed much generosity and support for the peace process in Nicaragua many decades ago
I ask your people, governments, and organizations, to please pay attention again to my country
The European Union, its countries, and institutions, have maintained close ties of cooperation with my country
I call on the European Parliament, the governments of the Union
the High Representative for Foreign Affairs, the Special Representative for Human Rights
to focus on and raise your voice in support of Nicaraguans and the struggle we’re suffering right now
To the United Nations, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
I ask you to take concrete action in favor of freedom and justice in Nicaragua
What are Nicaraguans asking for?
justice
that those who committed these crimes against humanity face justice
a end to the violence waged by the government against peaceful demonstrators
free and fair elections in order to choose the type of country we want to live in
And to you, my friends, I also ask you for your support
and you can show support in this moment by taking a selfie
asking for justice and an end to violence, using the hashtag "SOS Nicaragua"
I ask you to support the Nicaraguan people and those who are sacrificing in the name of justice, liberty, and democracy
I ask for your support so that the death of these young people is not in vain
And finally, as the renowned Nicaraguan poet Rubén Darío once said
I can assure you that Nicaragua will be free
because Nicaragua is made of vigor and glory
And Nicaragua is made for freedom
Thank you