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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MANAGUA 000322 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR WHA/CEN AND WHA/FO 
DEPT ALSO FOR INR - A EMERSON 
SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR FPA 
NSC FOR ALVARADO AND FISK 
DEPT FOR USOAS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/16/2018 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM KDEM NU
SUBJECT: PHANTOM PROTEST: GON PLANTS FAKE NEWS STORY ABOUT 
PRO-GOV'T PROTEST IN RAAN 
 
REF: A. MANAGUA 297 
 
     ¶B. MANAGUA 212 AND PREVIOUS 
     ¶C. MANAGUA 209 
     ¶D. MANAGUA 153 
     ¶E. MANAGUA 105 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Paul A. Trivelli for reasons 1.4 (b & d) 
 
¶1. (C)  SUMMARY.  On March 12, right-of-center "La Prensa" 
newspaper reported that hundreds of people gathered in Puerto 
Cabezas, capital of Nicaragua's North Atlantic Autonomous 
Region (RAAN), on March 11 to demonstrate in favor of 
postponing November's scheduled municipal elections, a 
position supported by the ruling Sandinista Party (FSLN).  We 
happened to be in the town on the 12th and confirmed with 
multiple sources that there had been no protest the prior 
day.  Further one of our contacts phoned the reporter who 
authored the article and was told that the story had been 
"phoned-in" to him by the Mayor, an FSLN ally.  END SUMMARY. 
 
The Phantom Protest 
------------------- 
 
¶2. (C) On March 12, the nationwide, center-right daily 
newspaper "La Prensa," (circ. 40,000) ran an article 
reporting that on March 11, hundreds of people had gathered 
in the municipal park in Puerto Cabezas to put pressure on 
the Supreme Electoral Council (CSE) to postpone local 
municipal elections scheduled for November.  (Note: we have 
reported via reftels on the CSE's plans to postpone or cancel 
municipal elections in the RAAN.  END NOTE). 
 
¶3. (C) By coincidence, we were in Puerto Cabezas on March 12 
on other business and asked multiple contacts about the 
reported protest.  We were surprised to find that they were 
stunned by the information and the article.  Each of them 
denied that there had been any protest, either pro- or 
anti-government on the prior day.  During our other 
activities throughout the day, we queried employees at the 
departmental hospital and our GON-supplied drivers, all of 
whom denied there had been any protest the prior day. 
 
Protest Phoned-in by Government 
------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (C) One of our contacts who knew Jose Garth Medina, the 
"La Prensa" journalist with the by-line phoned him directly 
after reading the article.  Medina answered the call and 
confirmed that he had written the piece, but that he had not 
left Managua to do so.  He told our contact that the news 
item had been phoned in by the Mayor of Puerto Cabezas and 
FSLN ally, Elizabeth Enriquez.  He also added that the Mayor 
had told him that protest had continued into Wednesday.  Our 
contact chided the reporter, noting that he himself was in 
the town and had no knowledge of any protest.  NOTE: We, 
ourselves, also saw no evidence of a protest in the town, 
either small or large, either pro- or anti-government.  END 
NOTE. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶5. (C) We have previously reported on demonstrations, both 
pro- and anti-government that have occurred in the RAAN, all 
of which we have been able to confirm through multiple 
sources.  There have been prior unconfirmed reports that the 
government and its proxies had begun to employ disinformation 
tactics; however, this is the first instance where we have 
first-hand confirmation that the practice is taking place. 
It is perhaps telling that the government feels its electoral 
position in the RAAN so threatened that it has resorted to 
blatant disinformation.  What we find particularly disturbing 
is that the piece appeared in "La Prensa," which has normally 
exhibited reasonably respectable levels of professionalism 
and integrity.  With the CSE yet to announce its final 
decision regarding postponement, tensions remain very high 
ahead of the election.  We will continue to visit, monitor 
 
MANAGUA 00000322  002 OF 002 
 
 
and report on the situation in the RAAN. 
TRIVELLI