[sacw] Sex Abuse by Daniel Ortega - Sandinista leader

[Harsh Kapoor]

26 October 1999
Dear friends,
its is truely shocking reading about the doings of Comrade Daniel Ortega.
I think we should all vigourously support the Central American Women's
campaign to bring to book the esteemed leader of the Sandinistas.
Leftwingers and feminists from the world over should the support Nicaraguan
=46eminists. All the details are pasted below. Please share this widely with
others.
best
Harsh Kapoor
----------------------------

SEX ABUSE AND THE ABUSE OF POWER IN NICARAGUA: THE CASE OF ZOILAMERICA NARVA=
EZ

In March 1998, the issue of sexual abuse in Nicaragua burst into the
limelight when Zoilam=E9rica N=E0rvaez, the 30-year-
old stepdaughter of former president Daniel Ortega, publicly accused her
stepfather of having-subjected her to abuse for
almost 20 years. She said she would not prosecute Ortega and wanted him
only to admit responsibility for his acts.
However, when he made no apology, Zoilam=E9rica decided to take the matter t=
o
court in May 1998. Ortega immediately
took cover behind the parliamentary immunity from prosecution which he
enjoys as a member of the National Assembly
and leader of the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN).

Eighteen months on, the immunity is still in force. Zoilam=E9rica has
repeatedly asked the National Assembly to rescind it,
not as a special case but on the basis of every woman's right to justice
and freedom from abuse. However, despite
promises, the Assembly has not yet discussed the request, and many
Nicaraguans now think suppression of the case was
part of the informal agenda of a recent political deal between the ruling
Liberal Party and the FSLN.

Ortega's position as a political leader, far from imposing high standards
of morality and accountability, seems to have
allowed him to engage in serious personal and professional misconduct for
years with impunity. His stature as a revolu-
tionary further shelters him from public criticism. Nicaraguan feminists
have been dismayed at the refusal to blame
Ortega even within the national women's movement.

Many organizations in Nicaragua carry out awareness-raising campaigns
around domestic and sexual violence and work
on victim support, police education and the treatment of perpetrators. A
recent national seminar on sexual abuse led to
agreements with the government on judicial and penal reform regarding
sexual crimes and inclusion of the issues in
school programmes. However, the full extent of sexual abuse and incest
remains widely unrecognized.

Zoilam=E9rica does not intend to let her case drop, and may take it to an
international court if necessary. A national
Zoilam=E9rica Narvaez Support Commission has been set up as part of the
Women's Network against Violence against
women and children and is working to keep the case visible in Nicaragua and
to continue pressing the National
Assembly to rescind Ortega's parliamentary immunity. Actions include:

* Placing of banners around their premises by local women's centres,
demanding justice for Zoilam=E9rica and for victims
of sexual abuse in general;
* Regular placing of paid advertisements in two Nicaraguan newspapers,
reminding parliamentarians of their duty to
discuss the Ortega case.

These actions cost over =A31,000/month and the Commission is asking its
intemational contacts for contributions. In
Britain, the Central America Women's Network acts as a channel for
donations. You can `send donations (cheques
payable to CAWN, envelopes marked 'ZAN APPEAL') to:

Central America Women's Network
c/o One World Action
Bradley Close
White Lion Street
London N1 9PF

=46urther information:
CAWN, tel: 0171 833 4075, fax: 0171 833 4102,
e-mail: cawn@g...
Mandy Macdonald, tel/fax: 01224 636661,
e-mail: 100754.3643@c...