Updates Archive - Page 2


January 1, 2001

Dear Friends and Supporters of Dorothy Granada,

Happy New Year!

We are writing to you on the first day of the New Millennium. We are getting ready to resume in earnest our efforts on behalf of the women and children of Mulukuku, Nicaragua, who are suffering from the closure of their only health clinic. This message is divided into four sections: 1) Update; 2) Analysis; 3) Suggested Actions; and 4) Contact Numbers.

UPDATE:

ˇ Dorothy Granada remained in hiding throughout the holidays. She was incommunicado, but friends reported to us that she was well and that she enjoyed her holidays. We also received reports of Nicaraguan police searching for her at the homes of friends.

ˇ Joe Franklin, a nurse who has been working with Dorothy in Mulukuku, sent us a very inspirational letter which will be posted on the website, www.PeaceHost.net/Dorothy.

ˇ Joe Franklin has also faxed to us several articles and letters which have been printed in the Nicaraguan papers over the holidays. These include an open letter from the women of Mulukuku to the Minister of Health and an open letter of support to the women of the Maria Luisa Ortiz Cooperative and Dorothy Granada from a Peruvian women's organization. These were published in El Nuevo Diario. Also, in the Dec. 29 La Prensa is a letter of concern from Pamplona, Spain, apparently prompted by the Amnesty International worldwide urgent action alert, as well as an opinion piece by columnist Mario Alfaro Alvarado, who is very critical of the government actions. All of these letters and articles will be posted on our website in the days to come.

ˇ The Appellate Court which is hearing the case of the government's deportation order against Dorothy will resume its work on January 8th. Since it heard the case before the holidays, it might possibly rule as early as January 8th. There may be other appeal processes available to either side. We are attempting to get more information on the legal details.

ˇ The Human Rights Commission of the National Assembly has announced that it is extending its investigation until January 25 and will not make an official report before that time. We are not sure what this means, except that earlier there had been talk about moving the report time up, rather than back. We can speculate that the later the report is issued the less impact it will have, especially if it happens after other legal and political processes are completed.

ˇ Representatives Sam Farr (D-CA) and Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) are circulating a "Dear Colleague" letter in Congress encouraging members of Congress to address this crisis (the letter is posted on our website). The initial circulation was done by e-mail due to Congress not being in session. Once Congress resumes its work (Jan. 4?) this will be circulated in the halls of Congress. This will reinforce the work that many people are doing to get their representatives involved.

ˇ The response thus far to the special fund appeal for Dorothy Granada's legal and other emergency expenses has been generous. Thanks to all who have contributed.

ANALYSIS:

The response to the appalling actions of the Nicaraguan government has been strong and impressive, in Nicaragua, in the United States and internationally.

The good work of Dorothy Granada in Mulukuku, coupled with her resistance to the illegal attempts to arrest and deport her from Nicaragua, have galvanized a movement of solidarity with the poor of Nicaragua and those who are working with the poor. One reason the Nicaraguan women's groups, human rights groups, and non-governmental organizations have rallied around Dorothy Granada and the Women's Clinic of Mulukuku is that they themselves are under attack by a reactionary regime. Dorothy's struggle is their struggle, and not just symbolically. In a very real sense, they have a profound investment in the outcome of this crisis. This reality, which has been expressed to us by many Nicaraguans and North Americans living and working there, makes our defense of Dorothy and the women in Mulukuku all the more compelling.

The response of many people in the United States has been quite effective. We have succeeded in getting the attention, and even the assistance, of our own government. We have put the Aleman government on notice that they are being watched very closely. And we have given much needed encouragement and solidarity to those in Nicaragua who struggle daily with poverty, injustice and repression.

Just look at this website to see some evidence of the broad support that has been generated by our faxes, our calls to our Congresspeople, and the involvement of our churches, our medical community, our human rights groups.

With both the U.S. and Nicaraguan governments shut down for the holidays, we have had the luxury of a bit of rest and relaxation with our friends and families. But now we need to gear up again for a full-scale emergency response. No doubt the Aleman government will be hoping that all the pressure on them will have died down, not to be resumed. They may try to move quickly to detain and deport Dorothy, whether by quasi-legal or illegal means, before we can even get the pressure cranked up again. Therefore, it is incumbent upon us to send them a strong message on the very first working day of the New Year, Tuesday, January 2, 2001, and on every day of this week and next week. In that spirit, we provide suggestions for actions you can take this week.

SUGGESTED ACTIONS:

ˇ Letters to the Editor of the Nicaraguan papers. Both La Prensa (E-mail) and El Nuevo Diario (E-mail) have published sympathetic letters to the editor in recent days, from Spain, from Peru, and from Mulukuku. They will probably be happy to print some letters from the U.S. Particularly, letters from supportive church groups, medical aid groups and human rights groups would have the most impact.

These letters should be in Spanish. If you need translation, please send them to us and we will arrange for their translation and their submission to the papers. If you send letters directly to the newspapers, please let us know so that we can track them.

ˇ Faxes to the U.S. Ambassador in Managua and to the U.S. State Dept. They need to know we are still on the case and that we are expecting their assistance in ensuring Dorothy Granada's personal safety and due process rights in Nicaragua.

ˇ Calls to our Congresspeople should be even more effective with the "Dear Colleague" letter circulating in Congress (see Update, above). The more Congressional inquiries received by the State Dept. and the U.S. Embassy in Managua the better (they have said this themselves).

ˇ Faxes to the various Nicaraguan authorities. Particular targets at this time might be the Ministry of Health, which has the responsibility to reopen the Women's Clinic in Mulukuku, the Appellate Court, which will probably make a decision next week, and the Human Rights Commission, which needs letters of support for its independent work on this and other human rights issues.

ˇ Those wishing to contribute funds to help Dorothy's legal and other 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.

CONTACT NUMBERS

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

Peter Romero
Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs
United States Department of State
Fax: (202) 647-0791

Greg Thome
Chief, Nicaragua Desk
United States Department of State
Tel: (202) 647-4975

U.S. Ambassador Oliver Garza at the U.S. Embassy in Managua
Tel: 011-505-266-6010
Fax: 011-505-266-3865
E-mail

President Arnoldo Aleman
Fax: 011-505-228-7911

Ingeniero Jose Bosco Marenco Cardenal, Ministro de Gobernacion (Interior)
Fax: 011-505-222-7778

Licenciada Mariangeles Arguello, Ministra de Salud (Health)
Fax: 011-505-289-7671

Dr. Benjamin Perez Fonseca, Procurador de Derechos Humanos (Human Rights)
Fax: 011-505-266-4141

Dr. Enrique Chavarria, Presidente de la Sala Penal # del Tribunal de Apelaciones de Managua (Appellate Court)
Fax: 011-505-267-4498

Please stay in touch with us and let us know of your progress and/or send us copies by email or fax of your letters.

Thanks for all your continuing efforts. What we are doing actually means quite a lot to many Nicaraguans. They are relieved to know they are not alone.

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

December 22, 2000

Dear Friends and Supporters of Dorothy Granada,

We bring you the latest news and, as a holiday bonus, a letter from Dorothy herself to all of you.

UPDATE

ˇ Yesterday (12/21) Dorothy's case was heard in the Appeals Court in Nicaragua. Our latest information is that no decision has yet been announced. The government shut down completely for the holidays today, so the decision will probably not be read until January. In the meantime, Dorothy remains "unavailable," as she prefers to say.

ˇ An all night vigil was held Wednesday night outside the Appeals Court building and included many people from Mulukuku. The Nicaraguan media is filled with support for Dorothy and the clinic. 7,000 people from in and around Mulukuku signed a petition of support as well.

ˇ Representatives of the women's movement in Nicaragua held a press conference on Wednesday, Dec. 20, in support of the women's clinic and Dorothy Granada. According to El Nuevo Diario: The Special Ombudsperson for Women, attorney Patricia Obregón, condemned the implacable persecution set off by the government of president Arnoldo Alemán against the 70 year old nurse Dorothy Granada. "Although we (the Human Rights Commission of the National Assembly) have not concluded our investigation, we consider that what the government has done is wrong, because it is an open violation of human rights and we women pronounce ourselves against this attitude," said Obregón.

Obregón also said that the independence which has been demonstrated by the Human Rights Commission in the case of Dorothy Granada and other similar cases has cost the commission "a drastic reduction of 45% of our budget." (more under ACTIONS)

Ruth Matamoros, representative of the Autonomous Movement of Nicaraguan Women, read a statement from various women's organizations denouncing the closing of the clinic in Mulukuku. "We hold President Alemán and his government responsible for the deaths that may occur while they maintain the closure of the clinic and the persecution of Dorothy," said the statement. "The persecution of civil organizations is a problem for democracy. Alemán is trying to kill the most basic and sacred human rights in the Constitution of the Republic, the rights to life, to health, to education, free organization and free speech. We therefore condemn this attitude," declared the women in their statement.

ˇ On Wednesday, Dec. 20, Dorothy was interviewed on The World, a national syndicated radio program of Public Radio International, and on Flashpoints, a KPFA radio news program in San Francisco. She was great!

Responding to the government's accusations, Dorothy said: "The only preference we give is to serving women. We live in a very poor community where women have babies every 1 to 1˝ years. Many of these women have died. Our mission is to save the lives of both the mothers and their babies. We provide prenatal care, help with the births themselves, and we also provide follow-up care for the mother and the child. We are two nurses and six women from the community. There are no doctors in the area. We do the best we can under trying circumstances. We do not perform abortions. That is against the law in Nicaragua. Women come to us so that their children will live and be healthy."

Asked why she thought she and the clinic were being targeted by the government, Dorothy responded, "Ever since this government came to power, it has been trying to reverse the gains that women here have made. The women's movement is perhaps the strongest movement in Nicaragua. It is quite militant. This government doesn't like that. They want women to stay in the home and to have all the babies that God sends them. This is an attack on women's rights and an attack on human rights."

ˇ Representatives Sam Farr of California and Cynthia McKinney of Georgia are circulating a "Dear Colleague" letter in Congress encouraging further action. A copy of the letter is posted here on our web site.

ˇ Today, friends in Nicaragua who are U.S. citizens asked us to remind you that they are extremely worried about the fate of their projects and organizations. They know that few besides Dorothy could generate the massive support that now exists and they hope we will include the safety and rights of all humanitarian projects in our demands.

ˇ Support continues strong as you are contacting your members of Congress, sending messages to the Ambassador and the Nicaraguan government, and writing letters to the editors of your local papers. A group in the San Francisco area visited the Nicaraguan consulate yesterday.

ACTIONS

ˇ Please continue all your actions - you, collectively, have had a tremendous influence not only in convincing your Congressional representatives to take action (19 so far, and growing) but in raising this issue beyond one woman to focus on a major crisis of human rights in Nicaragua.

ˇ Encourage your members of Congress to respond to the letter now circulating and to make their own inquiries on Dorothy's behalf.

ˇ We just got a call from Grethel Sequiera, key organizer and founder of the Cooperative in Mulukuku and dear friend of Dorothy. She first sends her love and appreciation to all of you for her support. She says she is extremely affected by all that is happening but takes strength to continue in our support and in the serious needs of her community.

NEW ACTIONS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS OVERSIGHT IN NICARAGUA AND THE UNITED STATES

Grethel Sequiera also specifically asked us to respond to the slashing of the budget for the Human Rights Commission of Nicaragua's National Assembly. She said the number of employees has been cut from 20 to 8 for the whole country. She asks us to send letters of support to Dr. Benjamin Perez Fonseca, Procurador, Comision De Derechos Humanos, at fax 011-505-266-4141.

ˇ Looks like the U.S. Congressional Human Rights Subcommittee is also in trouble, and needs our help. Rep. Cynthia McKinney of Georgia, who, along with Rep. Sam Farr of California, is spearheading the "Dear Colleague" letter in Congress, has sent us disturbing information that the International Operations and Human Rights Subcommittee may be eliminated. This subcommittee is vital to ensure human rights are a primary consideration in congressional action on U.S. foreign policy. Human rights deserve separate subcommittee consideration; dissolving the subcommittee would represent a setback for human rights around the world. For more information on how you can help, click: HERE.

ˇ And finally, please remember to make a financial donation to help pay for this emergency response. These funds are essential to the success of the efforts to ensure Dorothy's right to stay and work and the Clinic's right to serve the people of Mulukuku. Tax-deductible donations are payable to St. Boniface Church. Put "Emergency Fund" in the memo line and send to Women's Empowerment Network, 309 Cedar, PMB 547, Santa Cruz CA 95060.

The Nicaraguan government is now closed until January and we do not expect much more activity in the next week. We will write if there is news, but otherwise, we may be a bit quiet for the next while. Enjoy your holidays!

We leave you now with this letter from Dorothy, who sends her love and gratitude to all. Her letter is also posted here @ www.PeaceHost.net/Dorothy, and may be accessed by clicking on: Dorothy's Letter. Check it out. Send the link to a friend along with your holiday greetings.

Wishing you all peace,

Jill Winegardner and Gerry Condon
Women's Empowerment Network
Santa Cruz, CA
831-768-7004
Jill Winegardner

The following "Dear Colleague" letter is being circulated by Representative Sam Farr of California and Rep. Cynthia McKinney of Georgia to their Congressional colleagues:

SUPPORT HUMAN RIGHTS IN NICARAGUA

December 21, 2000

Dear Colleague:

 We are writing to inform you about and ask your assistance in addressing a burgeoning human rights crisis in Nicaragua sparked by the government's efforts to deport a U.S. citizen which will impede her efforts to provide health care to a rural community in Nicaragua.

Dorothy Granada, a 70 year old nurse from California, has directed a health clinic in Mulukuku, a rural community in central Nicaragua, for the past 11 years. She won the International Pfeffer Peace Prize in 1998 for her lifelong work for social justice and nonviolence. The health clinic in Mulukuku is the crucial source of health services for a population of 30,000 people. The clinic will not survive without Ms. Granada, the only trained nurse in a region where there are no doctors. The U.S. Agency for International Development recently investigated the clinic and found its work to be excellent and necessary.

This crisis began in early December when Nicaraguan government officials issued a resolution rescinding Dorothy Granada's Nicaraguan residency. They also issued an arrest warrant for Ms. Granada and an immediate order for her deportation based on charges that have been found to be false and misleading. They then closed down the health clinic.

On December 14, Judge Alvaro Ramirez annulled the government's resolutions against Ms. Granada, stating that she was not given the right to defend herself. Nevertheless, the independent Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights has expressed fear both that the government will continue its deportation efforts and that an appellate court will overturn Judge Ramirez's decision.

It is our hope that you will take action to prevent Dorothy Granada's deportation and ensure that she receives due process under Nicaraguan law. We therefore urge you to join several of your colleagues who have already expressed concern for the safety of Ms. Granada by directly contacting the U.S. Ambassador in Nicaragua, the State Department and the President of Nicaragua on her behalf. Your assistance is essential to secure her personal safety and to provide for the health of that impoverished region of the country.

Contact information is listed below.

Thank you for your help in this urgent matter. If you have further questions, please feel free to contact Laura Joshua with Rep. Farr (5-2861) or Jon Fremont with Rep. McKinney (5-1605) as well as Ms. Granada's U.S. contact, Dr. Jill Winegardner at tel/fax 831-768-7004.

Sincerely,
Rep. Sam Farr
Member of Congress 		     
Rep. Cynthia McKinney
Member of Congress
Contact information for concerned U.S. and Nicaraguan officials:

Greg Thome, Nicaragua Desk at the State Department
Tel: 202-647-4975

Ambassador Oliver Garza at the US Embassy.
Tel: 011-505-266-6010
Fax: 011-505-266-3865

The Honorable Alfonso Ortega, Ambassador
Embassy of Nicaragua
Telephone: (202) 939-6570
Fax: (202) 939-6542

President Arnoldo Aleman
Fax: 011-505-228-7911

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