VZCZCXYZ0000
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHMU #1264 3351533
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 011531Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY MANAGUA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0211
INFO WHA CENTRAL AMERICAN COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RHMFISS/HQ USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL IMMEDIATE
RHMFIUU/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE

UNCLAS MANAGUA 001264 
 
SIPDIS 
DEPT FOR WHA/CEN 
DEPT FOR INR/IAA 
STATE FOR USOAS 
STATE PASS TO USAID/LAC 
STATE PASS TO MCC 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PGOV NU
SUBJECT: NICARAGUA: POTENTIAL POLITICAL PRISONER GRANTED AMENSTY 
 
REF: 2008 MANAGUA XXX 
 
¶1.  (SBU) On November 18, the Nicaraguan National Assembly granted 
amnesty to Sandinista dissident and Catholic missionary Alberto 
Steffano Boschi.  Mr. Boschi, who is a dual Nicaraguan-Italian 
citizen, fled the country for Italy in November 2008 after being 
found guilty and sentenced to one year in prison for his alleged 
aggression against a pro-Ortega journalist during a July 30, 2008 
protest by youth who opposed the government (see Ref). 
 
 
 
¶2. (SBU) Boschi, who was convicted in October 2008 by a court 
stacked with pro-Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) 
judges, always maintained his innocence.  NGOs and human rights 
organizations condemned the sentence as political and were the 
first to call Boschi a political prisoner.  The opposition blocks 
in the National Assembly that voted for Boschi's amnesty also 
considered that he had been a victim of "political persecution and 
intolerance from the ruling FSLN."  Not surprisingly, the FSLN 
block in the National Assembly voted against the amnesty measure 
for Boschi. 
CALLAHAN