The civic organization Freedom House awarded the recognition Mark Palmer Prize 2024 to a diplomatic delegation from the United States Department of State for its distinguished humanitarian work in the release of 222 Nicaraguan political prisoners, an operation that was known as the “Nica Welcome” or “the flight to freedom.”
The former United States ambassador to Nicaragua Kevin Sullivanthe diplomat Marta Costanzo Youth, deputy assistant secretary Enrique Roig and the deputy administrator Marcela Escobari They received the award in a ceremony held on the night of this Wednesday, May 8.
During his acceptance speech, Sullivan stated that “we tried many different approaches to seek the release of Nicaraguan political prisoners. “We conducted unsuccessful negotiations, but we maintained open channels of communication with the Ortega-Murillo regime, hoping that we would eventually have the opportunity to move forward.”
Related news: This was “Operation Nica Welcome”, the freedom flight of the 222 political prisoners banished to the United States.
«That moment came at the end of January of last year, when the regime indicated that it was willing to release all the prisoners if we received them. “We launched an urgent project that involved hundreds of people working in complete secrecy to immediately identify resources and make arrangements to fly (transfer) these prisoners out of the country,” the diplomat added.
Sullivan indicated that “obtaining an agreement from Ortega to release the 222 was uncertain until the last moment. But when it was finally achieved, it gave us great joy.”
The American considered that the success of “Operation Nica Welcome” was “a testament to the United States’ enduring commitment to supporting those who fight for democracy and freedom, even in their darkest hours.”
“This is the spirit that we must continue to maintain to support the brave Nicaraguans who are still working tirelessly to achieve a return to the democracy that their fellow citizens so desire and deserve,” Sullivan reiterated.
The fear of being forgotten
Political scientist and former politician Félix Maradiaga was a special guest at the awards ceremony, where he shared his testimony as one of the victims of the regime’s repression and one of the 222 prisoners of conscience.
«We are experiencing a severe global crisis, a democratic recession that has persisted for almost two decades. This change has led to more than a million political prisoners around the world. Having experienced the suffering of political prison firsthand, I understand the deep pain it causes, not only to the individual, but also to his family and communities,” said the civic activist.
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Maradiaga stated that “the greatest fear of any political prisoner is being forgotten by the outside world.” «Tonight, as I see many of those same friends gathered here, I am moved to express my deep gratitude on behalf of myself and all 222 former political prisoners. Thank you for making sure we were never forgotten,” he added.
Maradiaga highlighted that the Mark Palmer Prize 2024 “It is not just for the incredible act of freeing 222 political prisoners and bringing them safely to the United States, but for all the time and tireless effort invested in fighting for freedom, democracy and treating every person with dignity.”
Flight to freedom
In the early morning of February 9, 2023, a plane with 222 political prisoners left the Managua International Airport bound for Washington. Two days before, most had no idea what was about to happen.
An extensive article published on the official AFSA website, signed by the diplomat Kate Applegate points out that the plan to free the Nicaraguan prisoners of conscience emerged in a matter of days, “after long months of covert diplomacy.”
The operation came to life when the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nicaragua, Denis Moncada“posed an unexpected question to then-ambassador Kevin Sullivan, who had headed the US Embassy in Managua since 2018: Would the United States accept all of Nicaragua’s political prisoners?”
With the operation already underway, “the embassy team met with their MINREX contacts at the Managua airport after midnight. From the darkness came the roar of a dozen Russian-made buses. That was the moment it was real,” the text indicates.
Many of the prisoners of conscience were bewildered. Some believed they were going to a court hearing or another prison. «When they saw the plane, others thought it was headed to Cuba or Venezuela. Some were terrified that they were about to be executed. They seemed to have no idea what was going on. They got off the bus and you could see them processing the plane, knowing that they were leaving, but without knowing exactly what was happening,” says the diplomat.
Upon landing in the US, the freed political prisoners were celebrities. Former ambassador Sullivan met them on the tarmac. A media helicopter flew nearby for live coverage. Families, friends and the diaspora gathered beyond the airport’s sliding doors, holding blue and white Nicaraguan flags.
