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As elections approach in Nicaragua, we call on the United States to stop interfering.
“How would it be if the United States were viewed by the rest of the world as interfering with the elections directly of other countries and everybody knew it? What would it be like if we engaged in activities that they engaged in? It diminishes the standing of a country.” President Biden, June 2021
Thirty-five years ago, on June 27, 1986, the International Court of Justice in the Hague ruled that the United States had violated international law by supporting the contras and mining Nicaragua’s harbors- in breach of our country’s international obligations “to not use force against another state, not to intervene in its affairs and not to violate its sovereignty.” The decision included the need to pay reparations, calculated at over $US 17 billion. The US refused to comply. Over 30,000 Nicaraguans died as a result of the war and their economy was totally destroyed by the time the war ended.
The US went on to interfere in the 1990 election, pouring in millions of dollars to create a candidate of choice and to threaten the people of Nicaragua with more war if they did not vote according to US dictates.
Following the Sandinistas’ return to power via elections in 2007, the US resumed efforts to undermine the Sandinista government, openly channeling over $200 million dollars through Nicaraguan non-profits and dozens of newly-created media outlets for regime change efforts. This culminated in a failed coup attempt that killed over 200 people in 2018.
In July 2020, a USAID document leaked from the US Embassy in Managua outlined an orchestrated plan, RAIN or Responsive Assistance in Nicaragua, financed by the United States to launch a government transition in Nicaragua over the next two years.
Right now, the Renacer Act is moving quickly through the US Congress with the explicit intent to interfere in Nicaragua elections, as stated in the title: Reinforcing Nicaragua’s Adherence to Conditions for Electoral Reform Act of 2021. The Renacer Act ramps up economic sanctions. It threatens Nicaraguan voters to vote for an opposition candidate if they do not want to suffer serious privation over coming years.
Our friends, family members, organizational partners, and communities in Nicaragua want the US to stop interfering. They tell us that the government cares about the poor, citing good governance from which they benefit directly: safety, food security, agroecology, access to health care and education, commitment to gender equity, disaster prevention and mitigation, energy diversification, best infrastructure and roads in the region, and programs to expand access to housing, water and electricity. Poverty and extreme poverty have been reduced by almost 50% from 2007 to 2017. Nicaraguans ARE NOT fleeing to the US border by the thousands, unlike their neighbors of the “northern triangle”.
US regime change operations in Latin America have a long, sordid history and continue to do enormous harm in the many places where they are active today. US sanctions in support of regime change are devastating to the most vulnerable people, and they are illegal.
As elections approach in Nicaragua, the US is directly interfering and, everybody knows it. We call on the US to stop interfering; it diminishes the standing of our country, and the US globally.
Sincerely,
1199 SEIU
8th Day Church
A Legacy of Equality Leadership and Organizing (LELO)
ÁBACOenRed, Estelí, Nicaragua
ADDICTED To WAR
African Youth Coalition against Hunger Malnutrition HIV/AIDS
All-African People’s Revolutionary Party (GC)
Allende Program in Social Medicine
Alliance for Global Justice
Alpiandes asociacion cultural de chileno italianos en Milan
Asociación Cipaltonal
Associazione Italia-Nicaragua
Associazione Nazionale di Amicizia Italia Cuba
AUSTRALIA SOLIDARITY WITH LATIN AMERICA
Axis of Logic
Baltimore Nonviolence center
Big Apple Coffee Party
Black Alliance for Peace
Bolivarian Circle Alberto Lovera NYC
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
Canadian Campaign of Venezuelans and Friends Against “Sanctions’
Casa Baltimore Limay
CCDS
CCDS Peace and Solidarity Committee
Center for Global Justice
Chicago ALBA Solidarity
Chicago Anti-War Coalition (CAWC)
Choose Life Abort War Podcast For Peace
CINDY SHEEHAN’S SOAPBOX
CIVG Centro di Iniziative per la Verità e la Giustizia
Claudia Jones School for Political Education
CLS
coasap
Code Pink
CODEPINK San Pedro
Colombia Support Network
Common Sense ink.org
Communist Party of Ireland
Coop-Anti-War-Café Berlin
Coordinamiento Italia-Nicaragua
Corvallis (OR) Latin America Solidarity Committee
Cuba Solidarity Campaign
Cuba Solidarity Forum Ireland
Democratic World Federalists
Denver Peace Council
DSA International Committee
Dutchess Peace
Echoes of Silence
Emar Studio for Public Architecture
Embassy Protection Collective
Environmental Network for Central America (ENCA)
Environmentalists Against War
EPC
FAKB
Fernwood Publishing
Fire This Time Movement for Social Justice Canada
First Presbyterian Church
FMLN
Freedom Road Socialist Organization
Frente Hugo Chavez para la Defensa de los Pueblos-Vancouver
Friends of Latin America
Friends of the ATC
Friendship Office of the Americas
FSLN
Genesee Valley Citizens for Peace
Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space
Good Shepherd Collective
Greater New Haven Peace Council, CT
Green Party Action Committee
Green Party Peace Action Committee
Green Party USA
Hands Off Latin America – Saskatoon
Hilo Fish Company
Housing Now, Ashland, Oregon
Inter Religious Task Force on Central America, IRTF
Interfaith Peace Network of Western New York
International Action Center
International Committee, Green Party US
Irish Chapter, the Network in Defence of Humanity
Italia-Nicaragua
JB Foundation
Jubilee House Community
Kentucky Interfaith Taskforce on Latin America and the Caribbean
Kingston RI Peace and Justice
Kommunistiska partiet
Latin America Solidarity Committee—Milwaukee
Latin American Solidarity Committee with Western NY Peace Center
Manhattan Local of the Green Party
Maui Peace Action
Miembro de la plataforma de solidaridad con Nicaragua, ámbitos religioso
Milwaukee Fair Trade Coalition
Mission and Justice Commission, St. John’s Presbyterian Church, Berkeley
MLK Coalition of Greater Los Angeles
MN AntiWar committee
Mobilization Against War and Occupation (MAWO) – Canada
Movimiento de Liberación Nacional (MLN)-México
Mt. Diablo Peace & Justice Center
NEU
New Creation Community Presbyterian Church
New York City Veterans For Peace
NH Veterans for Peace
Nicaragua Center for Community Action
Nicaragua Solidarity Campaign Action Group, UK
Nicaragua Solidarity Campaign, UK
Nicaragua Solidarity Ireland
Nicaraguan Cultural Alliance
NIN
Nuevo País
Organization for the Victory of the People
Orinoco Tribune
Pacific Northwest Solidarity with Latin America and the Caribbean
Parallax Perspectives
Party of Communists USA
Peace Action Manhattan
Peace Action New York State
Peace Action of Wisconsin
Peace Coalition of Southern Illinois
Peace House, Ashland Oregon
People’s Defense Initiative
Popular Resistance
Portland Central America Solidarity Committee (PCASC)
Presbyterian Peace Fellowship
Progressive Peace Coalition
Protect Our Activists
Racine Central America Solidarity Coalition
Racine Coalition for Peace & Justice
Revolutionary Theory and Action Collective–Journal
Rights Action (US & Canada)
Rochester Committee on Latin America, ROCLA
RWW
Saddleback College
Sanber Tecnica
SanctionsKill.org Campaign
School of Americas Watch Austin
SGI-USA
Shoreline Study Center
Solidarity Committee of the Americas
Solidarity Committee of the Capital District
Solidarity- Bay Area
South County, Rhode Island Fellowship for Peace and Justice
South West London Branch CPB
St. Gabriel Peace and Justice
St. John’s Presbyterian Church of Berkeley
St. Louis Inter-Faith Committee on Latin America
Sunrise Movement DC
Sustainable Agriculture of Louisville (SAL)
Sustainable Orphanages for Haitian Youth
Svensk-kubanska föreningen
Syracuse Peace Council
Task Force on the Americas
The Great Socorro Womens March
The Latin America & Caribbean Working Group of Massachusetts Peace Action
The Latin America Solidarity Coalition of Western Massachusetts
The People’s Forum
The Workers’ Party of Ireland
Topanga Peace Alliance
Tortilla Con Sal
Total Home Maintenance
UMC
Unite
Unite North Metro Denver
United National Anti-War Coalition, UNAC
United States Peace Council
US Women and Cuba Collaboration
UTLA
Venezuela Ireland Network
Venezuela Peace and Solidarity Committee of Vancouver
Veterans For Peace
Veterans For Peace – NYC Chapter 34
Veterans for Peace Baltimore Phil Berrigan Memorial Chapter
Veterans For Peace Chapter 69 (San Francisco)
Veterans For Peace Seattle
Veterans For Peace Tucson, Chapter 13
Veterans For Peace, Chapter 136
Veterans for Peace, Inc., Neil Bischoff chapter 66
Veterans for Peace, Linus Pauling Chapter 132
Veterans For Peace, The Aloha Chapter 113 Hawai’i
Veterans For Peace,Chapter 63
VFP Chapter 10 Albany ,NY
Victor Jara Siempre Canta
Western New York Peace Center
White Rabbit Grove RDNA
Witness for Peace Southeast
Women Against Military Madness
Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom Tucson AZ
Workers World Party
Workers World Portland
World Can’t Wait
WORPHC
Ymgyrch Cefnogi Nicaragua/Wales Nicaragua Solidarity Campaign
Yoga For Peace, Justice, Harmony With the Planet
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