Cuba recalls 89th anniversary of murder of Nicaraguan patriot and revolutionary

HAVANA, Cuba, Feb 21 (ACN) On the occasion of the 89th anniversary of the assassination of Nicaraguan patriot and revolutionary Augusto Cesar Sandino, the anniversary was commemorated today at the headquarters of the Cuban Friendship Institute (ICAP by its Sapnish acronym), in Havana.

Alejandro Jose Solis Martinez, Nicaraguan ambassador to Cuba, recalled that Sandino was betrayed and assassinated on February 21, 1934 by the National Guard at the service of U.S. imperialism.

The heroic and patriotic feat of the General of Free Men, as he is called, constituted the highest symbol of the struggle of that Central American land for its independence and self-determination, Solis Martinez said.

The ambassador asserted that Nicaragua demands respect for its sovereignty and does not intend to be the backyard or colony of another country.

For her part, Noemi Rabaza Fernandez, first vice president of ICAP, expressed that from this institution Sandino is remembered as a forger of the Latin American identity and as a symbol of dignity for the region, for being a leader of the resistance against the occupation of the United States on Nicaraguan territory.

She emphasized that the example of the Nicaraguan resistance leader against the US occupation army in Nicaragua inspired the Sandinista National Liberation Front from 1962 until the definitive victory against the dictatorship of Anastasio Somoza, on July 19, 1979.

Sandino's libertarian deed transcends borders, because it constitutes a guide for the people of the entire continent who confront oppression, Rabaza Fernandez stated.

Together with Nicaragua, Cuba raises the flags of freedom, solidarity and world peace, said the ICAP first vice president.

Augusto Nicolas Calderon Sandino, better known as Augusto Cesar Sandino, was linked during his life with leaders of different trade union, labor and socialist groups, and led struggles to eradicate U.S. domination in his homeland.

He is one of the national heroes of Nicaragua for his work for peace and liberation of that Central American country.