Nicaragua Urgent Action: Matagalpa Evictions
Jamie Pehling
URGENT ACTION ALERT
Evictions Protested
The Nicaragua Emergency Response Network protests the increasing number of
evictions currently taking place in Matagalpa and in other parts of the
country. We are calling on Nicaraguan President Violeta Chamorro to end
these illegal judicial evictions which are a violation of human rights.
Many judges are ignoring Certificates of Ownership that the Chamorro
government's own Office of Territorial Ordering (OOT) have awarded to
recipients of Sandinista land reform. They are also ignoring a one
year National Assembly passed moratorium on evictions that does not
expire until mid-April. In Matagalpa, some judges are even ordering
evictions in cases where the homeowner owes money to loan sharks,
private individuals who loan money at outrageous interest rates. As
in the US, Nicaraguan citizens are supposed to be protected from
userers under Decree 631 which was issued February 8, 1981.
To make these serious violations of the civil and human rights even
worse, some of the evictions are being carried out by anti-riot
police. Due to US political pressure, many members of the National
Police are now former contras who laid down their arms. The former
contras are particularly concentrated in the anti-riot police, because
Sandinista police, early in Chamorro's presidency, refused to
violently repress demonstrations and strikes.
We are asking you to send the following fax to protest this violation of
human rights to:
Mrs. Violeta Barrios de Chamorro
President of the Republic
Managua, Nicaragua
Fax 011 505 2627911
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sample message:
I am very concerned by reports that some judges, particularly in the
Matagalpa region are ordering evictions of homes and businesses
without regard to Certificates of Ownership granted by the Office of
Territorial Ordering (OOT), and that some people are being evicted in
violation of Decree 631 of February 8, 1981, which was promulgated to
protect people from losing their homes to usurers. It is particularly
troubling that, in Matagalpa and Dario, anti-riot police have been
used to carry out the evictions in a violent manner that has resulted
in beatings, arrests, and warrants for arrest. These are very serious
violations of human and civil rights.
I request that you instruct the Supreme Court of Justice inspect to the
Courts of Dario and Matagalpa Civil and Criminal District, and any
other districts where courts are ordering evictions, to verify the
violation of human rights and the arbitrary procedures that cause
disregard for the law.
I call to your attention the following specific incidents as examples
of the violations of rights and the threat to your reconciliation
efforts, and ask that you intervene to bring about a peaceful
solution:
Lucila Orozco, owner of the popular eatery Comedor Sn. Ramoneo,
in Matagalpa, was ordered to leave her home by Judge Mario Soto Quiroz
and Comandante Roger Ramirez J. of the National Police of Matagalpa
used 40 police to step beyond their bounds by shooting at a hundred
enraged Matagalpinos who were protesting the acts.
Mario Artola, President of the Association of Retired Military
(AMIR) was a victim of the brutal evictions on March 3, 1994 and as
a result of the violent police action the following citizens were
savagely beaten and held in house arrest: Silvio McEwan, Luisa Amelia
Gutierrez, Elynd Montes, Mario Artola.
Meanwhile, the local civil judge, Dr. Mario Soto Quiroz issued arrest
warrants for the following individuals: Moises Castillo Zeas,
Secretary of the Journalists Union and El Nuevo Diario; Dr. William
Rivas, lawyer and Public Notary; Jose Gonzalez Picado, Political
Secretary of the FSLN and law student at the National University.
Thank you for your attention to this serious matter.
Sincerely,
*******************
Spanish version:
Violeta Barrios de Chamorro
Presidente de la Republica
Managua, Nicaragua
Estimada Sra. Chamorro
Me preocupo mucho por las noticias del poder judicial,
especialmente en la region de Matagalpa, ha mandado a desalojar con
el uso de la policia antimotines a varios ciudadanos y comerciantes
sin hacerse caso a los Certificados de Posesion otorgados por la
Oficina de Orden Territorial (OOT), y el desalojamiento de gente
que viola el decreto 631 del 8 de febrero de 1981 que fue
promulgado para evitar la perdida de la casa a usuarios. Es
particularmente inquietando que, en Matagalpa y Dario, policia
antimotines estan acostumbrados cumplir el desalojamiento en una
manera violenta que ha resultado en golpeos, arresto y ordenes de
detencion. Son muy graves violaciones de derechos humanos y
civiles.
Le ruego solicitar la Corte Suprema de Justicia inspeccionar los
Juzgados de Dario y Matagalpa y Distrito Civil y Criminal, y los
demas juzgados que esten ordenando el desalojamiento, para que se
compruebe la violacion de los derechos humanos y los procedimientos
arbitrarios que causan anti juricidad.
Le llamo la atencion a los siguientes incidentes especificos como
ejemplos de las violaciones de derechos y como amenaza a sus
esfuerzos dirigidos a la reconciliacion, y le ruego intervenir en
este asunto para llegar a una solucion pacifica:
Lucila Orozco, duena del popular comedor Sn. Ramoneno, fue mandada
a desalojar por el Juez Mario Soto Quiroz y el Comandante Roger
Ramirez J. policia Nacional de Matagalpa, empleo 40 policias y se
extralimatron en sus funciones, ya que amenazaron con disparar a un
centenar de enardecidos Matagalpinos que protestaron por los
hechos.
Mario Artola, Presidente de la Asociacion de Militares en retiro
(AMIR), fue victima de un brutal desalojo, el dia 3 de marzo de
1994 y como resultado de la violenta accion policial, resultaron
golpeados salvajemente y con arresto domiciliar los siguientes
ciudadanos: Silvio McEwan, Luisa Amelia Gutierrez, Elynd Montes y
Mario Artola.
En tanto, el juez local de lo civil, Dr. Mario Soto Quiroz, ha
ordenado la detencion a los siguientes: Moises Castillo Zeas, Srio.
de la Union de Periodistas y del Nuevo Diario; Dr. William Rivas,
abogado y Notario Publico; y Jose Gonzalez Picado, Srio. Politico
del FSLN y estudiante de Derecho en la Universidad Nacional.
Muchisimas gracias por su atencion en este asunto tan serio.
Le saludo atentamente,
***********************
For more information contact:
The Nicaragua Emergency Response Network
P.O. Box 11395
Fresno, Ca. 93773
(209) 226-0477
(209) 226-1546 (fax)
E-Mail <cispes...@igc.apc.org>
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Newspapers in Nicaragua are full of stories and pictures of
families with their household goods on the street -- victims of a
round of judicial evictions supported by the national police. In many
cases, the court orders to evict ignored the fact that the evictees
had obtained a certification from the Office of Territorial Ordering
(OOT), the government office in charge of validating ownership of
property acquired under the previous government.
25 peasant families and 12 houses were destroyed on a piece of
property claimed by the powerful Icaza family in Leon. 25 police
participated in the eviction which resulted in the arrest of 6 members
of the "Justo Emilio Centeno" neighborhood.
In Matagalpa, dozens of persons were affected by the tear gas thrown
by the police when they were protesting the eviction of one of their
neighbors.
A Managua resident was evicted from his house on the South highway by
six policemen and 3 private security guards, employees of the
representative of the former owner, Alejandro Montiel Arguello, a
former high level official of the Somoza government. The evictee
had been given a certificate of ownership by the OOT, a fact not taken
into account by the judge who ordered the eviction.
Mario Castillo, legal advisor of the Community Movement, stated that
the "OOT is transferring these cases to the courts instead of
insisting on the validity of the documents that they have issued."
There is a mistaken impression in the State Department and among
members of Congress that human rights violations in Nicaragua are
being committed by Sandinistas against former contras. We suggest that
you send a letter about this incident, to your representative in Congress.
If you don't have elected representatives who are open to education,
send the information to Sen. Christopher Dodd, US Senate, Washington, DC
20510 or Rep. Robert Torricelli, US House of Representatives, Washington,
DC 20515. Both of them need to be hearing from citizens who do not buy
the right wing lies.