EMBASSY STAFF IN NICARAGUA SAID HARASSED

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000504570011-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 23, 2012
• Sequence Number: 11
• Publication Date: November 13, 1985
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

ST"T
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/23: CIA-RDP90-00965R000504570011-2
AffTICLE APPEAR &D
AN PAGE
Embass staff
in Nicaragua
said harassed
13 November 1985
By James Morrison
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Nicaraguan secret police have been
arresting, interrogating and harassing
Nicaraguan employees of the U.S. Em-
bassy in Managua, the State Department
charged yesterday.
Since Nov 2, about 14 Nicaraguan em-
ployees who work as drivers or secre-
taries or in other embassy support jobs
have been "subjected to long periods of
intense and often abusive interrogation,
ranging from six to 13 hours in length"
and later released, State Department
spokesman Charles Redman said.
The secret police, the feared internal
security arm of the Marxist Sandinista
government, summoned many of the
Nicaraguan employees late at night and
accused all of them of spying tor the
Intelligence Agency, a charge t e
State De artment strop denied.
"We reject any aims that those em-
ploye s are engaged in espionage activi-
ties," Mr. Re man sai . " are emp oye
in the normal sort of support functions as
foreign nationals in any Us emhassy in
the world."
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State
William Walker yesterday sent the Nica-
raguan Embassy in Washington a strong
protest, calling on Nicaraguan
authorities to stop the interrogations.
"We regard these midnight sum-
monses and this psychological and verbal
abuse of our ... employees as unac-
ceptable harassment," Mr. Redman said.
The Nicaraguan Embassy had no im-
mediate comment. A spokesman said he
had transmitted Mr. Walker's protest to
Managua and was awaiting a reply.
All of the U.S. Embassy employees
summoned by the secret police have
been "subjected to long periods of in-
tense and often abusive interrogation;'
Mr. Redman said.
"All have been subjected as well to psy-
chological abuse by being forced to sit for
extended periods of time in small
windowless rooms and by being forced to
walk at all times with their heads down
and eyes on the ground,' he said.
"So far, all have been released, but with
warnings that they will be under surveil-
lance in the future," he said.
The State Department yesterday also
criticized Nicaraguan leader Daniel Or-
tega for rejecting the latest peace pro-
posal by the four-nation Contadora
group.
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/23: CIA-RDP90-00965R000504570011-2