E-mail exchange between Comhlámh and Stephen Sefton* on the factual inaccuracies of an article published by Comhlámh on April 27th

Note: Comhlámh's Code of  Good Practice is intended for organizations sending volunteers to work on development programmes overseas. It is also expresses core values upheld by Comhlámh and its partner organizations. The Code states in its principle #9:

"PRINCIPLE 9 - Our organisation ensures honesty and transparency in its work, enables quality in its programmes, implements appropriate volunteer recruitment procedures, and ensures an accountability to local communities and partners, the general public and donors, and members, staff and volunteers."


E-mail from Stephen compaining about the article

"Dear Comhlámh,

I'm writing to complain about a recent article about Nicaragua written by Valerie Roche and published on Comhlámh's website blog

https://comhlamh.org/blog/nicaraguas-transformation/

I worked for Comhlámh for almost three years between 1991 and 1994 during which time, as well as working in support of returned development workers coping with re-entering life in Ireland, I also wrote and edited much of what people regarded as a very effective development education pack about human rights

I also took part in early discussions about Comhlámh's Code of Good Practice

I believe Valerie Roche's article violates Comhlámh's Code of Good Practice because, firstly, it presents demonstrable falsehoods as fact and, secondly, because it uses understandable concerns about human rights in Nicaragua to legitimize a highly partial political position favouring Nicaragua's US and EU government funded right wing political opposition

self-evidently, to conform with Comhlámh's Code of Good Practice you should publish a reply to Valerie Roche's inaccurate article, so I attach a reply I have written along with the relevant graphic

I hope you will comply with your Code of Good Practice and publish this reply with the same prominence you gave Valerie Roche's original article

if you do publish my reply please make sure you include all the hyperlinks so that readers can check for themselves the reports the article is based on

for your information, I have done human rights research and assisted community development programs in Nicaragua, and for a while, in Honduras, since 1986

after returning from Honduras in 1991, I worked in Comhlámh's Dublin office until 1994

since 1994 I have lived in Nicaragua, serving from 1995 until 2000 in the Irish government's technical cooperation programme here and for the last twenty one years I have continued assisting the education and training activities begun under that programme

I have also coordinated the Tortilla con Sal media collective in Nicaragua since 2008

so I am much more familiar than Valerie Roche with Nicaragua's social, political and economic reality over the last twenty five years

I look forward to hearing from you with confirmation that you will indeed publish my reply to Valerie Roche's article

thank you in advance

stephen sefton "


E-mail in reply from Comhlámh

"Hi Stephen

Sorry for the delay in replying to your email, as you can imagine lots of spinning plates.

I did a check for an email from the stephen@tortillaconsal.com but couldn't find it, so not sure what happened there.

I've read through your email and sorry to hear you feel we are not compliant with the Comhlámh Code of Good Practice. This Code relates to the work of the Irish Volunteer Sending Agencies, so I didn't quite get in what way the blog infringed on the Code.

But, I get your point that you don't feel that Val has been accurate in her depiction of events on-going in Nicaragua and that you have a very different view of what is going on.

At the same time, I am aware that there has been a major push by former Brigadistas, many of whom are former staff, or members - past and present of Comhlámh, calling out what they perceive to be major violations of rights in Nicaragua. In this work they have been backed by President Michael D Higgins.

We invited Val (a former board member, and on-going member in good standing and a member of PBI, an agency in good standing with the Comhlámh Code of Good Practice) to write a personal note of the thread of her life as an international development worker, to be read by those who are interested in exploring international solidarity work. It is her account of what she has come through, and what she is doing now with PBI.

Knowing, as we all do, Michael D, and I know many of those Brigadistas, these are not stooges of the USA working to undermine the will of the people. Many of these colleagues have continued to hold deep connections with Nicaraguan society, they have sided in opposition to the rights abuses taking place that as you note have been documented by Amnesty International. I know there is a valid critique of the place of international NGOs and organisations, but I don't accept your essential premise that these people are stooges of the right.

Best regards

Head of Comhlámh"



Stephen Sefton's response to Comhlámh's reply

"Dear  Mark

thank you very much for your helpful message

permit me to note that I originally complained about Val Roche's blog piece on Nicaragua because :

"firstly, it presents demonstrable falsehoods as fact and, secondly, because it uses understandable concerns about human rights in Nicaragua to legitimize a highly partial political position favouring Nicaragua's US and EU government funded right wing political opposition"

your message does not really address these two complaints

just to recap

the demonstrable falsehoods in Val's blog post are

* the lie that tanks were deployed to suppress protests - they were not

* the lie that the government was negligent in addressing the Indio Maiz fire when in fact they very clearly acted energetically to control the fire

* the falsehood that the proposed social security reforms would simply have cut pensioners rights (in fact it enhanced them by offering full medical cover under the Social Security health system) and "significantly" raise workers contributions (when the proposed increase was just 0.7%, while for employers the increase was over 3%)

* the falsehood that Daniel Ortega "took power" when in fact he was elected

Comhlamh's Code of Good Practice Principle Nine states: "Our organization ensures honesty and transparency in its work...and ensures an accountability to local communities and partners, the general public and donors, and members, staff and volunteers"

I note you comment that you "didn't quite get in what way the blog infringed on the Code"

does that mean you think Principle 9 of Comhlámh's Code of Good Practice for organizations does not apply to Comhlámh?

you seem to suggest that Val Roche's article is acceptable because it is a personal opinion piece by an established figure in the development community who has some involvement with Nicaragua

I have now pointed out to Comhlámh twice that Val's post on the Comhlámh blog contains several very serious misleading inaccuracies which should be a matter of concern to Comhlámh as a rightly prestigious development education organization

I note also that you have ignored my request relating to a right of reply

do you accept or reject that I have a right of reply, in accordance with Comhlámh's Code of Good Practice for organizations involved in development or development education to ensure "accountability to local communities and partners, the general public and donors, and members, staff and volunteers"?

if you do accept my right of reply, but regard the article I sent as unsuitable for the Comhlámh blog, I would be glad to write a much briefer text explaining the misleading falsehoods and inaccuracies in Val Roche's blog post

on the second part of my complaint you refer to the fact that former brgadistas to Nicaragua have had the backing of President Higgins to express their concern about possible human rights violations in Nicaragua by the government

I regard that as entirely healthy so long as due regard is given to all the available testimonies, including the experiences of the thousands of Nicaraguans who suffered death, serious injury, torture or horrific abuse at the hands of activists of the same US and EU funded Nicaraguan opposition movements that these former brigadistas to Nicaragua, like Val Roche, have actively supported politically since long before 2018

indeed, it is misleading on your part to suggest that their focus is solely on human rights when Val and others for many years now have made very clear that they are politically supportive of Nicaragua's opposition which has been substantially funded for the last fifteen years by the US and EU country governments

presumably it is a matter of some concern to Comhlámh to try and give a true and fair view of the human rights situation in Nicaragua

but in any case, my argument is that it is not ok for Val Roche to be allowed to publish demonstrable misleading outright falsehoods on Comhlámh's blog without reply

if you do not disagree with that, then please give me, an Irish community development worker living and working in Nicaragua for over twenty five years now, involved in human rights, community development and development education for over 35 years, the courtesy of a right of reply

please be aware that I reserve to right to publish our e-mail exchange because I regard it as a matter of legitimate public interest that a State funded development education organization like Comhlámh is publishing false and misleading information and seems to have difficulty with the principle of "accountability to local communities and partners, the general public and donors, and members, staff and volunteers"

thank you again for your helpful response

sincerely

stephen"


Comhlámh did not answer. Stephen Sefton replied to Comhlámh's blog post on Nicaragua with the article "Nicaragua – truth, class and betrayal"

* Stephen Sefton currently accompanies community development programs in Estelí, in northern Nicaragua. Since 1986, he has done human rights research and assisted community development programs in Nicaragua, and for a while, in Honduras. After returning from Honduras in 1991, he worked in Comhlámh's Dublin office between 1991 and 1994. He has lived in Nicaragua since 1994. From 1995 to 2000, Stephen served in the Irish government's technical cooperation programme to Nicaragua and subsequently continued assisting the education and training activities which that programme began. As well as that community work in Estelí, he has coordinated the Tortilla con Sal media collective in Nicaragua since 2008.