Nicaragua Solidarity Coalition Newsletter 9.16.2025: ALBA Countries Condemn US War Moves in Caribbean; Nicaragua Responds to latest US accusations
Nicaragua rejects US accusation over prisoner rights, affirming sovereignty and respect for its legal process The Nicaraguan Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly rejected allegations made by the United States Embassy in Managua regarding the health and treatment of political prisoner Yerri Gustavo Estrada Ruiz. These accusations, claiming mistreatment and abuse of Estrada—a convicted figure labeled as a coup conspirator—were dismissed as lies and slanders undermining Nicaragua’s sovereignty. Authorities defended Estrada’s physical health and prison conditions, backing their stance with official statements and documentary evidence. On Friday, Estrada was publicly presented to the media, confirming his stable condition and that he enjoys all his rights as a detainee, including family visits. This public display directly contradicted the US Embassy’s claims of violence and mistreatment during his detention.
The US Embassy statement response is part of an escalating international political conflict centering on the handling of political prisoners and Nicaragua’s image before Western governments and multilateral organizations. Estrada Ruiz has been detained for several weeks, accused of, among other crimes, treason against the homeland and promoting terrorist acts. In statements to the local press, he acknowledged that he had not received any type of verbal violence or physical abuse from the prison authorities, whose treatment of him he described as humane and respectful of his basic rights.
Nicaragua Ministry of External Relations Statement denouncing latest lie spread by the US Embassy (September 12, 2025) To US Embassy: Given your disrespectful, slanderous, and defamatory Note, full of falsehoods, about the situation of Nicaraguan coup promoter Yerri Gustavo Estrada Ruiz; And given a communication that can in no way be considered the Diplomacy proper to relations between States;
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Nicaragua, first of all, demands respect taking into account the offenses which that Note expresses, and reminds you that nothing can legitimize the dissemination of lies and slander, such as those which the State Department and its Embassy, have disseminated today. The Nicaraguan citizen in question, a coup leader, accused and convicted of terrorist activities in Nicaragua, has been presented today to the media, and as could be observed, he enjoys not only perfect health, but also all his rights as a person in prison, including family visits. This completely contradicts the lies spread by your Embassy in an offensive, informal way, based on inappropriate prejudices. We remind you that these types of publications and false accusations expose those who disseminate them, and do not conform with conventional diplomatic ties, which oblige us all to verify, to corroborate and to be truthful, as well as to be respectful in all our communications. The language of your Note is more typical of the activism of irresponsible organizations incapable of dealing with the Truth.
ALBA-TCP Denounces U.S. Aggression Against Venezuelan Fishing Boat (September 14, 2025) The Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America-Peoples’ Trade Treaty (ALBA-TCP) expresses deep concern about the senseless act of aggression perpetrated September 12, by the US Navy destroyer USS Jason Dunham against the Venezuelan fishing vessel Carmen Rosa, with a crew of nine Caribbean tuna fishermen, who were engaged in authorized fishing operations within the Exclusive Economic Zone of Venezuela. ALBA-TCP denounces this irresponsible and provocative act, which constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and further threatens the peace, security and stability of our region. The Bolivarian Alliance demands full adherence to international law enshrined in the United Nations Charter and the full respect of the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
ALBA-TCP member countries reaffirm their unwavering commitment to ensuring the region of Latin America and the Caribbean remains a zone of peace and demand that the United States immediately refrains from carrying out activities that jeopardize the peace and security of our region. ALBA-TCP expresses its full solidarity with the workers accosted, and emphasizes the importance of the safety and well-being of fisherfolks, and further recognizes the work of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces, which with determination and dignity protected their fellow citizens at every moment, reaffirming their unwavering commitment to defending sovereignty and peace in the region.
ALBA-TCP condemns the military escalation of the United States in the Caribbean (August 27, 2025) The member countries of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA-TCP), acting in accordance with their right to self-determination and in defense of regional peace, express their strongest rejection of the recent military escalation by the Government of the United States of America, which includes the deployment of warships and nuclear submarines in the Caribbean Sea. This action poses a serious threat to peace and security in the region, in addition to constituting a violation of the Proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace, adopted by CELAC in 2014 and recognized by the United Nations, as well as the commitments of the Treaty for the Prohibition of nuclear weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (Treaty of Tlatelolco).
ALBA-TCP warns that these offensive military practices jeopardize continental stability and reiterates that, far from intimidating the peoples, they are an impetus to strengthen efforts for integration, cooperation, and peaceful dialogue, in strict compliance with International Law and the Charter of the United Nations. The Bolivarian Alliance demands the immediate cessation of this hostile policy and the full respect for the sovereignty and independence of the States of Latin America and the Caribbean. It also reaffirms its commitment to peace, unity, and solidarity, reaffirming that Our America will continue to be a territory of peace, whose destinies belong only to its peoples, free from all foreign interference.
Events
September 17: Solidarity with the Venezuelan People Vanessa Pérez, Cinco Fortalezas Commune in Venezuela; Steve Ellner; Leonardo Flores, Venezuela Solidarity Network, others
September 21, 3 pm ET: Nicaragua Webinar on Nicaragua’s and Venezuela’s remarkable housing programs, with Sofia Clark of the Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann Center in Managua; Elizabeth Santos, President of FundaVivienda, associated with Gran Mision Vivienda Venezuela Register here
October 13, 2:30 pm ET: Nicaragua Solidarity Coalition monthly meeting on zoom. Email NicaraguaSolidarityCoalition@gmail.com for zoom access
Nicaragua Delegations
Casa Ben Linder Email casabenjaminlinder@gmail.com to apply:
November 2025: Salud & Solidaridad: Hands-On Healthcare in Nicaragua
22-31 January 2026: The Bird Brigade: Birding in Solentiname Arquipelago
7-15 March 2026: Power & Protagonism: Women in Nicaragua
June 2026: Global Health: Family and Community Health in Nicaragua
July 2026: Solidarity in Action: Nicaragua’s Popular Revolution
October 2026: Salud & Solidaridad: Hands-On Healthcare in Nicaragua
Nicaragua Solidarity Coalition: nicasolidarity.com
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