86 Durham Rd,
London N7 7DT
8 October, 2018
Michelle Stanistreet
General Secretary
National Union of Journalists
Headland House
72 Acton St
London WC1X 9NB
Dear Ms Stanistreet,
We are writing to express our concern about your 3 October condemnation of the actions of the Nicaraguan government in deporting US/Austrian journalist Carl David Goette-Luciak.
Your condemnation fails to address both the context in which this deportation took place - the attempted violent overthrow of a democratically elected government - and the specific actions of Goette-Luciak. Tragically over 200 people lost their lives in Nicaragua over the period April-July; this included government employees, Sandinista supporters, trade unionists, police officers and innocent bystanders, as well as protesters. Any responsible journalist would be examining the causes of this violence, not simply repeating the line of the opposition protesters that all the deaths resulted from government repression. Goette-Luciak never did this, because he was a committed supporter of the opposition, not an independent witness.
In failing to recognise the complexity of the context your statement perpetuates the conventional narrative about the situation in Nicaragua in the international media that is neither accurate or fair: nor does it differentiate between fact and opinion. Surely this in itself is against NUJ principles?
Furthermore, there is evidence that the activities of Carl David Goette-Luciak were of a criminal nature under Nicaragua law, as reported by journalist Max Blumenthal.
Firstly, he actively participated in the attempted overthrow of the government.
Secondly, he filmed a video and took photos of a Sandinista Party member being tortured and
posted them on social media.
Thirdly, he failed to report these criminal activities to the authorities as he is obliged to do according to Nicaraguan law.
The Nicaraguan laws that apply to criminal activities such as those carried out by Carl David Goette-Luciak are similar to those in the UK where failing to report a crime is a serious offence, and the crime of sedition can lead to 10 to 20 years imprisonment in the UK under the Aliens Restriction (Amendment) Act 1919. In the US the law relating to seditious conspiracy would apply.
In addition, Carl David Goette-Luciak was not accredited as a journalist by the relevant Nicaraguan authorities and his deportation was in line with measures taken by other countries when unaccredited journalists enter without the correct documentation, as happened in the case of British journalist Elena Lappin, expelled from the United States in 2004. Goette-Luciak's activities also contravene the NUJ's own Code of Conduct at least in the Code's principles 2, 3, 4, and 5.
We would also like to point out that it is very misleading to insinuate that there is a lack of press freedom in Nicaragua: in fact the overwhelming majority of the media (TV, radio, newspapers and especially social media) is controlled by the Nicaraguan opposition. They have carried highly critical and often inaccurate or exaggerated reports throughout the crisis, making no attempt at balanced reporting.
Clearly, Goette-Luciak was not expelled because he was an opposition journalist but because his activities aided and abetted violence by opposition groups. In many countries this would have led him to being tried and potentially imprisoned, not simply being deported.
In supporting Goette-Luciak the NUJ is, in effect, condoning the use of the title "journalist" to undertake political activities and encourage violence, which is surely against the interests of genuine and accredited foreign journalists in Nicaragua, of which there have been many (including from the Guardian) over the past six months.
It is also worth noting that Goette-Luciak, other Guardian reporters, or the NUJ have expressed concern for the violence against journalists by armed protesters. For example, Radio Ya, a radio station sympathetic to the government, was attacked and burnt down by armed groups on May 28; 22 journalists and other workers narrowly escaped with their lives, while their rescuers (police and firefighters) came under fire. These journalists have been traumatised by this horrific event.
We therefore call on you to reconsider your statement in support of Carl David Goette-Luciak.
Yours sincerely,
Dave Cosgrave,
Chair, Nicaragua Solidarity Campaign Action Group
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Registered Office 86 Durham Road, London, N7 7DT
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