VZCZCXYZ0011
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHMU #0576 1621855
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 111855Z JUN 09
FM AMEMBASSY MANAGUA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4228
INFO RUEHMU/WESTERN HEMISPHERIC AFFAIRS DIPL POSTS PRIORITY
RUMIAAA/CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL PRIORITY
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 0409
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEAHLC/HOMELAND SECURITY CENTER WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEAWJF/HQ INS WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHBPCOM/MEDTRE FAC COMFORT  PRIORITY
RHBVJPX/COMPHIBRON SIX  PRIORITY
RHBPCOM/USNS COMFORT  PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L MANAGUA 000576 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA/CEN AND DRL 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/10/2019 
TAGS: PGOV PREL KHUM KDEM PE NU
SUBJECT: ORTEGA PROVIDES ASYLUM TO PERUVIAN INDIGENOUS LEADER
 
Classified By: AMBASSADOR ROBERT J CALLAHAN, FOR REASONS 1.4(B) AND (D) 
 
¶1.  (SBU) On June 9, Tomas Borge, Nicaragua's Ambassador to 
Peru, announced that President Daniel Ortega would grant 
asylum to Peruvian indigenous leader Alberto Pizango.  The 
Nicaraguan government argued that Pizango was a victim of 
political persecution and granted him asylum based on 
humanitarian grounds.  Pizango, Borge stated, feared 
persecution after receiving threats from Peruvian President 
Alan Garcia's government.  Nicaraguan Foreign Minister Samuel 
Santos explained that the government's decision was based on 
direct instructions from President Ortega.  Borge emphasized 
that it was not the Nicaraguan government's intention to 
interfere in Peru's internal affairs and hoped Pizango's 
asylum would not negatively affect the Nicaraguan-Peruvian 
relationship.  Borge explained that Nicaragua granting 
Pizango asylum was similar to Peru's decision to grant 
Venezuelan opposition leader Manuel Rosales asylum. 
Presidential advisor Lenin Cerna was visiting the Foreign 
Ministry when the announcement was made.  He denied any 
involvement in the affair, but said he supported the 
indigenous leader's fight against oppression. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) The same day and after the Nicaraguan government's 
announcement of the asylum decision, dozens of people 
celebrated outside the Peruvian embassy in Managua and 
protested the Peruvian government's treatment of the 
indigenous population.  This forced the embassy to close its 
doors and blocked street traffic.  Among the participants 
were the Solidarity Committee with Venezuela, members of the 
Citizen Power Councils (CPCs), the Indigenous Movement of 
Monimbo, Pro World Peace, Peruvian citizens, and Sandinista 
National Liberation Front (FSLN) party-youth.  Protesters 
yelled "asesino" ("assassin"), referring to Peruvian 
president Alan Garcia, who they likened to Nicaragua's 
Anastasio Somoza.  The protesters denied their actions were 
politically motivated, stating they acted in solidarity with 
oppressed indigenous groups. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Various groups in Nicaragua questioned Ortega's 
motives in granting Pizango asylum, as well as the process by 
which asylum was granted.  National Assembly Deputy Wilfredo 
Navarro (of the Constitutional Liberal Party, PLC) said that 
the Nicaraguan government should not be granting asylum to 
people who are involved in conflicts in other countries. 
Navarro contended that the indigenous people have a right to 
protest, but argued that their cause has been undermined by 
interventions from Evo Morales, Hugo Chavez, and Daniel 
Ortega's governments.  Bayardo Izaba, Executive Director of 
the Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights (Cenidh), said the 
Nicaraguan government should first determine whether or not 
Pizango is an indigenous leader and is in fact eligible for 
political asylum. He explained that the constitution grants 
political asylum to individuals who have been persecuted for 
defending democracy, peace, and human rights in their country 
and emphasized the importance of distinguishing such an 
individual from one who has committed a common crime. 
 
¶4.  (C) Comment: As is becoming customary under the Ortega 
administration, the Nicaraguan government's decision to grant 
asylum to Pizango came directly from the presidency and 
circumvented state institutions and established legal 
procedures.  Borge's statement comparing the Pizango case to 
Rosales situation also leads one to believe that Ortega's 
decision was not based solely on Pizango's eligibility for 
asylum or affinity with indigenous groups, but rather on 
Ortega's solidarity with Hugo Chavez. 
CALLAHAN