Nicaragua Solidarity Coalition, 9.18.2026: Nicaragua vs Israeli Mass Murder at ICJ; Release Cilia Flores; Steve Ellner on Venezuela; Daniel Ortega Speech; Upcoming Events

Carlos Argüello Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Nicaragua to the international organizations based in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, at the International Court of Justice in the Hague

Daniel Ortega: The United States, with all its wealth, has used it only to sow death and suffering. It could have used that wealth to help these people fight poverty, end hunger and end the desperate situation of thousands upon thousands of our brothers and sisters throughout this region, who, in their desperation, unable to find a way to survive in their own countries, have no alternative but to seek the so-called American Dream, and they make great sacrifices to travel to the United States.

And as we said some time ago, we must always be vigilant. Why? Because the enemy that our people have is an enemy that, simply because it is a global military power, feels entitled to attack people anywhere in the world, provoking global crises. We see this in the resistance of the American government to finding peace with the heroic people of Iran. And as long as there is no peace, there will be war there, because the heroic people of Iran are a people who do not surrender or sell out.

A State needs Peace, so that Housing can be built, so that Hospitals can be built, so that Scholarship Programs, completely free of charge, for Higher Education can be developed, just as we are doing now.

[on the Constitutional reform of the Electoral Law]: It was intense work, with impressive participation, in all the national consultations organized by the National Assembly. Because, you see how important this is, this is a reform that is carried out by consulting the people, and the people supporting it. For a Reform to become a Law of the Republic, it must go through two stages: First, the approval of the Law, and then, the Law continues to be submitted to the Assembly and also to the People, continuing to be submitted for knowledge and support, so that people really know what this Reform means.

Photos and translated caption: “San Juan de Limay and Pueblo Nuevo are joining the second phase of the consultation process on the amendments to the Constitution, with families participating by sharing their contributions, opinions, and proposals as part of this exercise in citizen participation.”

Kawsachun News: Statement by the Government of Nicaragua on ICJ Hearings vs Germany (Palestine genocide) [for background, see Becca Renk’s article: Nicaragua to Raise its Voice for Palestine in Another Landmark case at the ICJ] Nicaragua recalled that in this case it invokes Germany’s responsibility in connection with multiple violations of international law, particularly with regard to the heinous scourge of genocide and international humanitarian law, but also to the right to self-determination and the prohibition of racial discrimination, racial segregation, and apartheid; through its political, financial, and military support for Israel’s actions in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Nicaragua maintained that Germany cannot claim ignorance of the catastrophic situation facing the Palestinian people. Likewise, it was noted that Germany has ignored the Court’s Order of April 30, 2024, regarding arms transfers, has significantly increased its lucrative arms exports to Israel, has normalized illegal military tactics, and has systematically blocked any measures against Israel. Video: Nicaragua v Germany at ICJ 

Code Pink: Sign the Letter to Tell Judge Hellerstein to grant Cilia Flores home detention Cilia Flores, kidnapped by the US along with her husband Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, is seriously ill, and imprisoned thousands of miles from her home in Venezuela. Her lawyers say she may have already suffered a minor heart attack and warn another cardiac event could be life-threatening. She has not been convicted of a crime. Judge Hellerstein can grant her home detention so she can receive the medical care she needs. 

Michelle Ellner: As a Venezuelan, this feels deeply personal to me. Many of us affectionately call Cilia Flores “Cilita,” and in Venezuela she is known as the Primera Combatiente, the First Combatant. She is a political figure in her own right, someone who has spent decades organizing, legislating, and participating in the Bolivarian movement alongside the Venezuelan people.

That is the Cilita many of us have come to know and that is why it is so painful to picture her now, at 69 years old, seriously ill in a prison cell thousands of miles from home. She has not been convicted of anything, yet eight months after being kidnapped from Venezuela, her health has deteriorated to the point that her doctors are warning of a potentially life-threatening cardiac event. The U.S. has already taken enough from the Venezuelan people. It must not take Cilia’s health, or her life.

Steve Ellner: Delcy Rodríguez has a Gun Pointed at her Head – Does She have Options? Donald Trump’s success in wresting concessions from Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodríguez is a clear demonstration of what can be achieved through the barrel of a gun. Trump touts the benefits the US derives from the neocolonial relationship he has established with Venezuela.

The devastating toll that a decade of severe US-imposed sanctions has taken on Venezuela’s state-run basic industries such as oil, gas, electricity, and telecommunications has to be brought into the picture. The sanctions impaired the ability of the state oil company PDVSA to maintain, repair, replace and operate equipment. In the latter years of his rule, Maduro acknowledged the deterioration and turned increasingly to private capital.

For all Trump’s warm words about Rodríguez, the sanctions that have inflicted such damage on the Venezuelan economy remain in place. Particularly worrisome is the prospect that the Trump administration abruptly changes course and opts for regime change, before Rodríguez’s strategy for economic recovery gets off the ground. Such a shift from transactional pragmatism – it’s all about the oil – to rabid anti-communism is in line with the position championed by Marco Rubio and other right-wing hawks.

The burden is on those on the left who demonize Rodríguez to explain what realistic strategy they advocate.

Objective conditions in Venezuela – the result of a veritable war waged from Washington – and subjective conditions – the resultant erosion of enthusiasm even among the Chavistas – are highly unfavorable. Venezuelans as a whole are exhausted from the devastating effects of Washington’s war on Venezuela which played a central role in driving the average workers’ income down by roughly 80 percent since the mid-2010s. The call by Machado’s followers grouped in the Vente Venezuela party for mass protests against Rodríguez has not materialized.

Most important, the movement needs to stay focused on combating the atrocities committed by Washington: the liberation of Maduro and Flores, the lifting of all sanctions and the return of billions of dollars of Venezuelan assets seized abroad at the behest of Washington. There should be no doubt that the blame for Venezuela’s dire situation both before and after January 3 lies squarely with Washington.

PeoplesWorld.org: Cindy Farquhar: Advocates hold Congressional hearing in defense of Cuba Events on September 2 in D.C. capped intense summer work and coordination between National Network on Cuba (NNOC), Americas without Sanctions, and Nicaragua Solidarity Coalition. The pro-Cuba groups were aware of the inhumane conditions imposed by the US on multiple countries in Latin America, and that U.S. influence over elections has moved seven countries far to the right in seven recent elections. It was understood that overturning Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua’s socialist governments is the goal of this country’s Americas policy.

View the hearing here. The panel included Suzanne Adely, National Lawyers’ Guild President; Dr. Robert A. Turner, Pastor of Empowerment Temple in Baltimore, MD; Felix Sharp Caballero, an Afro-Cuban American and longtime Michigan civil servant; and Dr. Tanya Zakrison, a University of Chicago trauma surgeon who has studied the heightened trauma felt by Cuba with the blockade’s increase. The panelists presented their case on Capitol Hill in a shadow hearing for Congress members titled, “Breaking the Blockade: Reassessing the Moral and Legal Failures of U.S.-Cuba Policy.” Rashida Tlaib, Pramila Jayapal, Ilhan Omar, Jonathan Jackson, Chuy Garcia, Maxine Dexter and Delia Ramirez came in person, joined by staffers from Jamie Raskin’s and Mary Gay Scanlon’s offices.

There are 7,000 container ships on the ocean that are bound for Cuba but cannot reach it with supplies.

Raul Capote: The New Face of Fascism: How the Far Right Is Casting a Dark Shadow over the Map of the Americas What is shaking the continent today is a profound transformation, a dark tide that, since 2023, has been staining the political map of Latin America and has brought the far right to power in twelve countries across the region. Since January 2025, the seven presidential elections held on the continent have all resulted in victory for a subservient right wing, fully subordinate to Washington’s dictates. Ecuador with Daniel Noboa, Bolivia with Rodrigo Paz, Honduras with Nasry Asfura, Chile with José Antonio Kast, Costa Rica with Laura Fernández, Peru with Keiko Fujimori, and, most recently, Colombia with Abelardo de la Espriella—seven out of seven.

Trump himself has acted as the driving force and godfather of this wave. He sets the regional agenda, endorses candidates, and has orchestrated forums tailored to his agenda, such as the “Shield of the Americas” summit. The “Trumpification” of South America is now a confirmed reality.

Salvador Allende: His Last Words, September 11, 1973 Workers of my country: I want to thank you for the loyalty that you always had, the confidence that you deposited in a man who was only an interpreter of great yearnings for justice, who gave his word that he would respect the Constitution and the law and did just that. At this definitive moment, the last moment when I can address you, I wish you to take advantage of the lesson: foreign capital, imperialism, together with the reaction, created the climate in which the Armed Forces broke their tradition, the tradition taught by General Schneider and reaffirmed by Commander Araya, victims of the same social sector which will today be in their homes hoping, with foreign assistance, to retake power to continue defending their profits and their privileges…

The people must defend themselves, but they must not sacrifice themselves. The people must not let themselves be destroyed or riddled with bullets, but they cannot be humiliated either…. Other men will overcome this dark and bitter moment when treason seeks to prevail. Go forward knowing that, sooner rather than later, the great avenues will open again where free men will walk to build a better society. These are my last words, and I am certain that my sacrifice will not be in vain, I am certain that, at the very least, it will be a moral lesson that will punish felony, cowardice, and treason.

Video: Nicaragua in the Neoliberal Years: Governing From Below. First Class: Trade Unions and Universities. English: https://www.casabenjaminlinder.org/governing-from-below  Spanish: https://www.casabenjaminlinder.org/gobernar-desde-abajo 

Upcoming Events

September 17: Nicaragua Solidarity Coalition webinar/class series #3 Governing From Below, Nicaragua in the Neoliberal Years: Communal Movements and Sandinista Media. You can still register here: bit.ly/NicaSept

September 19: No War on Cuba National Advocacy The National Network on Cuba’s ongoing No War on Cuba campaign continues. We are rallying a call for Prolonged Political Action in Defense of Cuba to take place from September 15th through October 1st. During this time we will renew our commitment to Congressional action, letter writing campaigns, and one on one meetings with representatives. The first thing that you can do is sign on to this petition by Just Foreign Policy urging a vote on the Cuba War Powers Resolution. 

September 24: Nicaragua Solidarity Coalition webinar/class series #3 Governing From Below, Nicaragua in the Neoliberal Years: The Role of International Solidarity: Reconciliation and Unity  Register here: bit.ly/NicaSept

September 27 (Britain, in-person event), No to Trump’s War on Latin America Gabriel Becerra, Pacto Histórico Party MP, Colombia; Francisco Dominguez, Venezuela Solidarity; Marcos Lagier, Argentinian anti-fascist campaigner; Julia Felmanas, Brazilian Workers’ Party; Conor Murphy, Sinn Fein Senator & Colombian election observer; Richard Burgon MP; Kim Johnson MP; John McDonnell MP. 

October 3: No US Intervention in Venezuela! Free Maduro!  Free Flores!  Protest in New York City outside their prison, and in other cities

October 10: The People’s Tribunal on US Government Complicity in Gaza  The Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom US (WILPF US), Veterans For Peace (VFP), and American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) will convene the People’s Tribunal on U.S. Government Complicity in Gaza. Taking place in Seattle, Washington, and streaming live nationwide

Oct 25 Nicaragua Solidarity Coalition webinar on Nicaragua's electoral reforms

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2027 Casa Ben Linder Nicaragua Tours

‍Feb 13-19 Bird Brigade – birding in Solentiname and Rio San Juan‍  ‍

‍March 6-14 Power and Protagonism: Women in Nicaragua – meet with women in leadership roles – cooperatives, labor unions, peasant feminists, and artisans to explore gender equity in Nicaragua

‍April 22-30 Light and Legacy: Ben Linder Brigade – Commemorate 40 years since the assassination of U.S. solidarity worker Ben Linder by U.S.-funded contra forces

‍‍May 21-June 1 Mayo Ya – Cultural tour to the Southern Autonomous Region of the Caribbean Coast, which is the heart of Nicaragua’s Indigenous and Afrodescendant communities.

‍Nicaragua Solidarity Coalition: nicasolidarity.com‍   

‍Monthly meetings of the Nicaragua Solidarity Coalition are held on Zoom on the second Monday of each month at 2:30pm Eastern/ 11:30am Pacific time. The next meeting: Monday, October 12. To request the Zoom registration link, email NicaraguaSolidarityCoalition@gmail.com.

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