“Mothers of April” Ask Private Employers to Support a National Strike

The “Mothers of April” Movement condemned the massacre that occurred during the peaceful Mother’s Day march of May 30th, which left many more Nicaraguan families in mourning. They called on the business sector to declare a national work stoppage to pressure the exit of the Government of Daniel Ortega.

“They went out to massacre that sea of people who came out to support us in our mourning, in the largest march in the recent history of the country. Therefore, we ask the business people to call a national work stoppage, because although we will suffer from hunger for a few days, its better than them continuing to kill us,” said Rosa Cruz Sanchez, mother of the young man Michael Cruz, murdered in the vicinity of the Polytechnic University of Nicaragua (Upoli).

Cruz Sanchez and other mothers who make up the “Mothers of April” movement lamented that more people continue to die “because of the terrible dictatorship” of Ortega that “dared” to send its mobs and police forces to attack the mass mobilization.

The mothers shouted “National strike”, “national strike,” during the press conference in which they also denounced being victims of harassment and persecution by mobs at the service of the Ortega government.

“Unknown people continue to come to stalk our homes, continue to persecute us and harass us, we ask that they leave us alone when they are the cause of so much pain,” said Graciela Martínez, sister of Juan Carlos Lopez Martinez, murdered in Ciudad Sandino on April 20 during the protests.

She said that they are requesting to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) precautionary measures of protection “for all the relatives of the victims” and hold the Government “responsible for whatever happens to us.”

They will continue demanding justice

Amanda Gahona, mother of journalist Angel Gahona shot dead while transmitting on Facebook Live the protests in Bluefields demanded that the Nicaraguan population remain united “in the fight against the Ortega regime.”

“We never thought that they would disrespect the pain of the mothers, that they would attack entire families that came to support us, they did not resist the humiliation of seeing that the entire people of Nicaragua were with us,” she said.

Gahona thanked the population for their “immense commitment and solidarity” in accompanying them during what was coined the “mother of all marches” and assured that they will continue to demand “justice for the victims and the immediate exit” of Ortega from power.