Return with my head held high.

Yesterday I publicly announced my decision to return to Nicaragua on the afternoon of September the 16^th. This announcement is in line with the position that I have maintained since the beginning of my forced exile. I have always stated that I would only temporarily remain out of the country while I continued my battle for democracy and human rights on the international front.

I have done everything within my power to make the world aware of what is happening inside of Nicaragua so that the international community can apply continued pressure for a peaceful transition towards democracy. It has been an arduous team effort alongside many other people. To all of them, I express my gratitude.


I firmly believe that the time has come for me to return to the trenches within Nicaragua where I have been for over a decade before the Sandinista judicial system began their political persecution against me. I have made this decision after much prayer and self-reflection with the support of my family, and the conviction that no tyrant or dictatorship can rob me of my right to live and work for the country I love. Nicaragua is my homeland. As a Nicaraguan citizen I will exercise my constitutional right to come and go as I please.
I am fully aware that there are many risks associated with this decision, and that just as many Nicaraguans who cannot exercise their civil liberties freely, there are no guarantees for me either. With that being said, I feel that I have the moral obligation to insist that there are no conditions on the ground for a safe return of our exiled citizens. My decision is strictly personal and obeys my unbreakable faith and confidence in that I can count on the protection of god.


In July, citing the recently approved Amnesty Law, Judges loyal to the Ortega Regime archived hundreds of cases, one of which was mine. However, my conscience, which has always been clean determines my innocence, not a spurious amnesty law. I return to join the efforts of the National Unity Movement for the liberty of Nicaragua.
I return with my head held high.

As many of you will remember, last year; just like many members of the Nicaraguan opposition I was unjustly charged with baseless charges without any proof or evidence. As a result of these bogus charges a Judge from the 5^th Criminal District Court of Managua issued an order for my arrest as well as an order to freeze my personal assets in the National Financial System. Additionally, the government initiated a fierce political persecution which included the raid, looting, and arbitrary cancellation of the legal status of the Institute for Strategic Studies & Public Policy (IEEPP, a think tank created in 2003).

God bless Nicaragua.