The peasant movement continues to establish its structure in exile. Since the exile of the leaders of this organization “they have decided to resume their agenda and reinvent themselves,” said Medardo Mairena, former presidential candidate. This past weekend they held a meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, in order to elect their leaders in the different states of that country.
This organization is 10 years old since it was founded in Nicaragua to prevent the construction of the interoceanic canal from taking place, beginning with the “anti-canal” protests. Mairena assures that although they are a vulnerable group, they will maintain the structure of their bases.
“I have given myself the task of meeting again with the leaders of the Peasant Movement, the peasants have already been in this fight for more than 10 years, in the search for the vindication of our rights,” Mairena highlights.
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Organize in exile
The objectives of this movement, which now seeks to carry out its activism from the United States, include supporting the rights of its members who now face forced exile.
“Friends have put a group of lawyers at my disposal to give talks to explain to the peasants the legal procedures that they must follow in this country, it is another way of helping each other, to survive in exile,” highlights the peasant leader.
They intend to achieve, from their structures, family reunification, since a significant number of families of the members of this organization are still in Nicaragua. Some managed to enter through humanitarian parole, this is the case of the family of peasant leader Freddy Navas.
They indicate that they will continue to seek the release of political prisoners in Nicaragua and collect evidence on the human rights violations they experienced before being expelled.
Regarding the position of the Peasant Movement in the unity process, known as Monteverde, Mairena points out that their participation is individual, because it is a space that does not seek to bring together organizations. «My commitment is not with a platform, it is with the people. I am looking for the true unit where we can find representation from all the platforms to build that action plan that will lead us to get out of the dictatorship,” Mairena emphasized.
