The Guardian continues its shameless misinformation campaign against Nicaragua and its people
This article is by Camilo Mejia, an Amnesty International prisoner of conscience because he refused duty in the US army in Iraq, who is also son of the famous Nicaraguan singer Carlos Mejia Godoy. In its September 7 article, the once progressive Guardian reports that Nicaragua was brought to a standstill by a general strike […]
Misinformation on Nicaragua: It was a coup, not a massacre
There is so much misinformation on the left about recent events in Nicaragua that it is a pity that Mary Ellsberg’s article for Pulse has added to it. She says that recent articles often ‘paint a picture of the crisis in Nicaragua that is dangerously misleading’. Unfortunately, her own article is subject to just that criticism. It […]
Nicaragua’s failed coup
For three months Daniel Ortega and his government in Nicaragua were under intense pressure to resign – from protesters and opposition groups, from local media and from right-wing politicians in the US. But while the international pressure continues, in mid-July it became clear that, for the time being at least, the opposition no longer has […]
Opposition behind the violence in Nicaragua
Following the Guardian’s rejection of a longer letter with multiple signatories on this issue, they accepted this shorter one. Your report says Daniel Ortega, Nicaragua’s president, is facing a “nationwide revolt” by “peaceful” protesters (Ortega decries ‘terrible lies’ over protest deaths in rare interview, 25 July). I live in the city of Masaya, which was […]
Anatomy of a massacre
Events in Morrito, Rio San Juan, Nicaragua, July 12 2018 A national newspaper once called it a hidden treasure. The small fishing town of Morrito, on the shore of Lake Nicaragua, could hardly be a quieter place. But on July 12 it was the scene of a brutal attack that cost the lives of five […]
A letter to The Guardian
During the three months of political crisis in Nicaragua, The Guardian has produced some twenty reports, including a number from Managua and two from Masaya, a city that for several weeks was effectively under opposition control. Unfortunately, its coverage has been seriously unbalanced. A group of us based in Nicaragua, the US and the UK […]
After 2 Months of Unrest, Nicaragua Is at a Fateful Crossroads
If there’s no negotiated peace with a return to order, the conflict could spin out of control, bringing the chronic violence and insecurity of the country’s northern neighbours. In a video clip, a young boy stands at a makeshift barricade across a road. He holds a toy gun to the head of his friend. Off […]
An interview about the situation in Masaya
Tom Ricker of the Quixote Center in Maryland interviewed me about the current situation in Masaya (June 2018). Here is what I said. There has been a tremendous amount of violence in Masaya over the last week. Several people have been killed, a school was set on fire, and people assumed to be supporters of […]
After Ortega?
Nicaragua had a record 1.8 million tourists last year. It’s a beautiful country, and in 2017 it officially became the safest in Central America. But after three days of political violence last month, one of the few certainties in 2018 is that it will lose both records. More than 40 people died in the protests, […]
Old and new water projects
ADIC is again working to deliver water to communities in the hot, arid zone to the north of Masaya, called El Timal. Today we paid a visit to an old project and a possible new one. In 2014, with support from the British embassy, ADIC carried out its Agrosolar project in a small, remote community […]
John Perry lives in Masaya, Nicaragua where he works on