Nicaraguans Demand Justice for Ortega’s May 30 Massacre
United States government backs the demand
US Deputy Secretary of State Brian Nichols said the regime’s attacks on the May 30, 2018 march did not drown out the demand for democracy and justice in Nicaragua.
HAVANA TIMES – Five years after the armed attack on a peaceful demonstration perpetrated by paramilitaries and police, Nicaraguan political organizations, human rights defenders, and US government officials are demanding justice and the restoration of democracy in the Central American country.
The US State Department’s Under Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Brian Nichols, said on his Twitter account that “the Ortega regime’s unjustified and vicious attacks on a peaceful Mother’s Day march, five years ago, failed to extinguish Nicaraguans’ legitimate aspirations for democratic change.”
“We stand with those who bravely seek to restore human rights in Nicaragua,” the US government official added.
For their part, a grouping of youth organizations, among which are the Nicaraguan University Alliance and Student Youth Unity, issued a statement where they honor “with reverence and deep respect the Mothers of April, tireless defenders of justice for their children lost under the Ortega dictatorship.”
According to the youth organizations, the cry for justice demanded by the mothers of the murdered “is not only a call to the heart of Nicaragua, but a resounding cry to the conscience of the world. This demand constitutes the fundamental pillar of our struggle for democracy and freedom.”
“Today we honor the Mothers of April and reaffirm our commitment to justice and democracy. We do not forget. We do not forgive. We do not give up. For our mothers, for Nicaragua, we will continue fighting until the end,” concludes the statement released by the youth organizations on May 30.
Similarly, the Human Rights Collective “Nicaragua Never Again”, declared its affinity with the call of Nicaraguan mothers who continue to demand justice, and that the crimes against their children do not continue in impunity.
“The HR Collective stands in solidarity with the families of those killed, in particular the mothers who during all this time have not stopped raising their voices, despite the constant harassment and persecution exercised by the regime against them,” indicated the organization based in San José, Costa Rica.
According to the Collective, the human rights crisis in Nicaragua continues to deepen due to the intensification of repression against opponents, journalists, and members of the Catholic Church.
“We join all Nicaraguan families in the reconstruction of historical memory so as to not forget those murdered, and to demand the exposition of all crimes against humanity perpetrated so that in Nicaragua there will never again be serious violations of human rights,” the organization asserted.