Selected Articles ~Censored from La Prensa JUNE 1986
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United States Department of State Selected Articles ~Censored from La Prensa JUNE 1986 PERIOO!SMO NACIOMAL Sin LibH1nd de l'remu no huy Lilwr(ml AL SERVICIO OE LA VEl1DAD y LA JUSl !CIA APARTAUO :"fo. ln r.,,,d,,.1,, ,., , o,. \I""" <l·· 1~10 Managu@i Mi6rc-0les 28 de Mayo de 1986 ~~~·~~..~.~-~~~.~~~.~~~~~~~·-~~~~.~-~~.~~~-~~~~~~·~~-~~~~-~.,,~~~~~~. en 3 Por: Ag,,olin <111 Grncl" tad or" El ,,,rnw<rn\rn en!<c vkac~nclllarns dul Grupo dG r'AMJ\MA, 23 DE b\!\YO (ACAN-EFE)_- Grupo" <le lr!l· Contsdora (Colombin, M(;xlco_ f"rn,;rnii \'Venezuela) y baio '"'"''~nzaban a l"'d" d~ hov "~ow,qa1 las dile delonml<>S d~ loo palses cenlro:m18nc8nos Dhiorlo nl rentes po,;1u1d'; p,11a ooor,r llrnlks ~I \3ma•1o y mm" marlco P,1> o"la capilal 5n prol(1ngar/\ por lm r1;,, mas y onenlo d~ Ins ejG•c1tvo <I« CrrnlroamG1 lea_ por pnrnera fiStil prnvislo quo 1'o.,(:il>Y3 rnaf\ano. vul en lo« Ires a(K>O de conver>"clun(·f. '1A µoz rJo Con Los dlplorn&tiGos discul~n ul canl\<llo del Acla c!n Hq,,,rk; lkgl'cho de dik !uerw, ho_primeros ;n5Hlu 1enl<•.< 11Mk,; d" I" F\<'puhH <''' <bn cucnl:t d~ Hna ,~,-;,. j,\d'~~·~,~1"; ~;:~'1~E ~,";e~:'L: 1'Uf(, Inc· quo ban !enid<> que de <hihJC· ""lV '""'ivo \' otr-0> <k 1rwnnr •ilknc.1dod. qm• !'m'"- '"'' prlldl<:u "'' 1ll!1n de hon provoeaUo la< lha·lo,. ""'~' geuda r:•rn levantar I'""" ntinwrv <le llneHs n•ta" ~o!Ja~ Jurn .. IE• lo> \Ellirnn' !Nt: bo rnporl"d" quc a con d!as, cspccblrnento In.< ,i,. "QCUO!lcrn de lo" virntc,, L1n- U.ltimrrn hOr<!'>, q11e han sidQ acmnpnfvidas d" vienln.•; hu mcanad," Como re .• ul!n<ln lk l" 1·ndin" d~ vicnl<>s de grau "Anli!s <k firnrnr, l>uy ('n,.todorn en e.rn Jecho dos y oycr se rnumo ''" la (Guatcn1ala) recnmn" \VASI11NG'l'ON, MA YO juni<l rmrn firmar <'! Ad« <J"'' revis"r dctenidruncn W (EFE).- Lo• pabes Casa fllmico em• d pr~,-[ dnr <JUC IW "" resp~tnd• In de Pa£ de Con/adorn, dijo pn>vlsta, "•m es l'"!pa rfa te Im C.'til'!!l{ldOT<BS de! "~"!mamel'ic1moo no hon hoy <'I pr<mi<len!e de Hon Co.<ta Rk<t, El Sn!l'mlor, dente 1Vmold /leag""· Jech" lope <Id 6 <I~ junlo poro jirmrH -,,I Actwf'lO Actu, yu !)U<' de rrnd" slr recibldo Mi"t"na i!lsi d,.rns, Jost Au,on" lfoyo. a .. oi€r11ola, nl <fo H"'1rh1- Los ci'w" prnsid<mle1 vc !<mer "" <Jrnf'r<in <J<rn miuch\TL dd Departame" El mmalatario handco ras". de Cenlromm'irlca <lf'd d~ Paz. alogando <!"''era di~ron <•I pasaclo d" -'" llccc.,or io ml!s tk"'J'" pa lo de E'tado porn po~(cr re,\a mo,,iJesM q•w, si "" '"'""'" realiw wrn vfoi fi" gnr lo J<'chu to po de! 6 de se ""scribe el Acta de la <>Jicla! a Est'1dos U11I- mrrno Pfl Esquipul"-' ra S"ll"ir ucgndcrndn •· Coioon:io a l\UCOIN BHWG!i:TOWN, MAYO W. IF.f'l".l.· L"" ei<'<'<"""ic'; em\>"<'1N!L hoy en B»rl>~do., en. un ambiento lranq\!ilo, HcJllu, "":ibi<lo In ,;g11itll· mientrns los 176.IJOO h"rba den;c; rcgistrados a~\lde" a lar, urnas a ilop-0sitm· sw; vo " \os Loo comido,, ~mpn;mm Cnrnondan!~ ofieinlme!lto a i.,, nu"ve de fhm~n Cabrales A. b maiiona mlen!ras largns Minislro C'onwrdo lnleri-0J hla" e.>tnbnn fornmdos m;\s Wisch1rnwski M»n"g"" Jiiignn Poa!l ob Pz\g. 12 No,.1 Selected Articles Censored from La Prensa, Managua, Nicaragua October 1985 - April 1986 U.S. Department of State June 1986 r CONTENTS Introduction 1 ''Without Liberty, There Will Never Be Peace," Violeta Chamorro, May 21, 1~86 4 Selected articles censored from La Prensa,· Managua, Nicaragua, October 1985 - April 1986 Church to announce formation of human rights commission 9 Church newspaper Iglesia publishes first issue 9 Interior Ministry confiscates Iglesia 10 Labor leaders protest reduction of Christmas bonus 11 Cubans' neighbors frustrated by "constant disturbances" 13 Political parties criticize state of emergency 13 Outdoor mass prohibited, transportation restricted 14 Shortages of basic goods reported 17 Government shuts church radio station for two days 17 Cardinal Obando to celebrate confirmations 18 Obando celebrates outdoor Mass 19 Rains damage crops 20 Passengers complain of high taxi fares, lack of service 21 Sandinista and independent student groups clash 21 High costs force car repair shops to close 22 Security police interrogate church, business, labor leaders 23 Veterinarians' Association elects officers 25 Evangelicals' meeting disrupted by mobs 25 Parents protest required purchase of newspapers 26 Resistance among "volunteer" coffee pickers reported 26 Independent Liberal Party withdraws from panel on Constitution 27 Armed robbers active in two neighborhoods 28 Permission required to visit embassies 30 Pharmacists in financial straits, government action requested 31 Harassment by Masaya Security Police reported 31 Masaya Security Police interrogate members of Catholic church 32 High prices drive liquor consumption down 33 Human Rights Commission reports increase in complaints 34 Government employees' pay withheld for not picking coffee 35 Government inspector threatens market worker 35 Woman living with Cuban shot, details uncertain 35 Need to halt exodus of professionals noted 36 Social Christian youths' deaths denounced 37 Government bans ceremonies on anniversary of La Prensa editor's assassination 37 Godoy protests arrests, state of emergency 38 Minister of Education reviews year, cites problems 39 Consumers find lard inedible, use it to make candles 41 Political parties not in National Assembly restricted 41 Obando denounces human rights violations 42 INTRODUCTION For many years, the independent newspaper La Prensa has been synonymous with the struggle for freedom in Nicaragua, Under former editor Pedro Joaquin Chamorro, La Prensa was a major force of opposition to the Somoza dictatorship and a frequent target of government repression. Chamorro's assassination in 1978 touched off the popular rebellion leading to Somoza's fall, Under the Sandinistas, La Prensa continues to play a vital rol~ in the struggle for democracy in Nicaragua. La Prensa's ability or inability to publish freely has become, like the exercise of other civil and political rights in Nicaragua, a barometer of government repression. After Somoza, the outlook for basic rights seemed excellent, The _Sandinista-dominated Government of National Reconstruction guaranteed freedom of the press and speech among other rights, In the program of government sent to the organization of American States on July 12, 1979, the Sandinista-dominated Government of National Reconstruction promised "a special guarantee shall be granted to the freedom of issuing information and the publishing of information [and] all laws that repress freedom of information shall be abolished." On August 21, 1979, the National Government of Reconstruction issued the Statute of Rights and Guarantees of Nicaraguans guaranteeing basic civil and human rights, including freedom of the press and expression, Despite their promises, the Sandinistas immediately took control of the media, seizing two television stations and most radio stations, Recognizing that it would be politically damaging to shut down the internationally renowned La Prensa, the Sandinistas tried instead to muzzle the paper through heavy censorship, arrests and imprisonment of editors and staff, bannings, slander, and economic pressures. In 1982, de facto government censorship became law when the government imposed a state of emergency formally suspending basic civil rights, including freedom of the press. Since then, La Prensa's editors have had to submit copy in advance to government censors. Editor Roberto Cardenal Chamorro estimates the paper has "suffered an average delay of public.g.tion of about five hours every day, and has found 47% of the submitted material censored,'' The government prohibits La Piensa from printing blank spaces to show where articles have been cut. - 1 - On April 7, 1986, 80% of the paper was censored, leading editors to cancel the issue. Censorship has resulted in La Prensa not publishing at all more than 40 times. The Sandinistas officially relaxed the state of emergency, including press restrictions, during the 1984 election campaign. In reality, the independent media remained severely restricted, La Prensa, for example, was prevented from printing an article and photographs of a rally for Arturo Cruz, the presidential candidate of the major democratic opposition coalition, The rally was violently disrupted by Sandinista mobs which attacked Cruz and his supporters. The Sandinista controlled media, on the other hand, continued to function freely during the election campaign. In October 1985, the Sandinistas announced the current crackdown on civil liberties, suspending basic civil and political rights. Shortly thereafter, the Sandinista controlled National Assembly amended the decree to allow freedom of the press for all but national security and economic matters. Government censors continue arbitrarily cutting material without fegard to the law. Editor Jaime Chamorro protested to Carlos Nunez, the President of the National Assembly and a Sandinista comandante, that the government ''has continued censoring La Prensa as if nothing had occurred in the Assembly. That is to say, it throws out, cuts and mutilates all kinds of information, especially that of a Catholic religious nature.'' In August 1982, Violeta Chamorro, a former member of the Sandinista junta and the widow of Pedro Joaquin Chamorro Sr., wrote a famous article, ''Freedom of the Press Does Not Exist in Nicaragua." I cannot help remembering when on July 19 of 1979 I entered my homeland at the head of a new Government of National Reconstruction, accompanied by the good will, the understanding and support of all the democratic nations of the world.