Event to Commemorate the 44th Anniversary of the foundation of the Ministry of the Interior
and the 49th Anniversary of the Heroic Feat of the “Juan José Quezada” Commando
December 27th 2023
Address by Rosario
Good afternoon, Compañeras and Compañeros, and many congratulations to all the Compañeros and Compañeras of our Ministry of the Interior. Dr. Gustavo Porras, President of the National Assembly, is going to read out a note certifying that the President of the Republic has sent to the National Assembly a Bill that he will present and explain. Thank you.
Address by Dr. Gustavo Porras
President of the National Assembly
Good afternoon, Compañeros and Compañeras, good afternoon Comandante Daniel Ortega, President of the Republic; good afternoon Compañera Rosario, Vice President of the Republic, good afternoon to all the Compañeros and Compañeras presiding.
We want to read the Note so as to certify the fact that the President of the Republic, the Presidency as the highest governing body of the Nicaraguan State, and more particularly the Head of State, has ordered to be introduced, and we have done so and he did so, introduced this morning, the Bill establishing the Functions and Structure of the Ministry of the Interior.
This has already been presented, reviewed and approved by the Executive Board of the Assembly, which also convened the Plenary for tomorrow. And, immediately, after being presented, we are urgently going to approve this Initiative.
The purpose of this Law is to continue guaranteeing the Constitutional Order and Institutionality of the Country established by the Revolution, as well as Citizen Security and Internal Order.
Through this Law, the integration between the National Police and the Ministry of the Interior takes effect; the Director General of the National Police will be, as he is already. a member of the Senior Directorate of the Ministry of the Interior.
Consequently, the Law elucidates the functions, the scope of competence and the structure of the Ministry of the Interior, and also reforms what exists in Law 290, reforming Law 290 which is the Law on Organization, Competence and Procedure of the Executive Branch.
We certify this, and also with joy we want to say, since we have recovered the strength, the unity of all our forces for the defense of Internal Order and for the defense of the Constitutionality and Institutionality of the Revolution.
So, Brothers and Sisters, let's get back to our roots and move onward. Thank you, Comandante.
Words of María Amelia Coronel Kinloch
Minister of the Interior
Good evening, friends and colleagues.
Comandante Daniel Ortega, President of the Republic and Supreme Chief of our National Police.
Compañera Rosario Murillo, Vice President of the Republic.
Compañero Gustavo Porras, President of the National Assembly.
Comandante-in-Chief of our Nicaraguan Army, Army General Julio César Avilés Castillo.
Major General Bayardo Ramón Rodríguez Ruiz, Chief of the General Staff.
Major General Marvin Elías Corrales Rodríguez, Inspector General of our Nicaraguan Army.
First Commissioner Francisco Díaz, Director General of our National Police
Commissioner General, Horacio Rocha, Minister Advisor for Security Affairs to the Compañero President of the Republic of Nicaragua.
Commissioner General Zhukov Serrano, Deputy Director General of the National Police
Compañero Luis Cañas, Deputy Minister of the Interior.
Families of Nicaragua.
Compañeras and compañeros from the media.
This event is to commemorate the 49th Anniversary of the Heroic Feat of the “Juan José Quezada” Commando of the Sandinista National Liberation Front, who broke the silence and began the pre-insurrectional and insurrectional period leading us to Victory on July 19th 1979.
The “Juan José Quezada" Commando bequeathed us the militant conviction that all Sandinistas must have Courage, Bravery, Audacity, and Confidence in Victory; victories that belong to the Nicaraguan People.
Guided by you Comandante Daniel, and you Compañera Rosario, our People have been able to defeat the attacks of imperialism throughout history and 49 years after the feat of the “Juan José Quezada” Command, the enemy remains the same; using the quislings to orchestrate smear campaigns that offend the dignity of the Nicaraguan people.
But they encountered a people who say: We overcame, we overcome and we will overcome. And we are Free. We are the People of Darío, of Sandino, of Zeledón, who Neither Sold Out Nor Gave Up, Ever!
We especially honor Comandante Tomás Borge, founder of the FSLN, of the Ministry of the Interior and one of the instructors of the Juan José Quezada Commando, and who is present at all the moments of commemoration of the heroic and victorious deeds of the People; and as Sandinista Militants, we cannot forget when he said: “There will be, and I repeat it, until they die of rage. There will be an FSLN today, tomorrow and always”"
Comandante Daniel, Compañera Rosario, we are proud of the Heroic and Glorious History of the Ministry of the Interior that is being given continuity. How much emotion and how much Honor, but above all Pride, because we are able to serve our Brave People, the People as President, with Love, with Hope, with Respect, with Courage, with Humility, with Dignity.
We are reorganizing, respecting the ranks and positions in accordance with the Laws and Regulations of our National Police, we feel privileged to be part of this History of serving the People, working and defending the Peace, Security and Tranquility of Nicaraguan Families; thanking God for allowing us to build a New Path, New Times and New Commitments. Together we serve the Families, defending the Future that our Blessed Nicaragua deserves.
We thank you, Comandante Daniel and Compañera Rosario, for the unconditional support to the Ministry of the Interior, an integral part of the National Police. We reiterate our obedience and loyalty to our Supreme Leadership, and our willingness to continue working to strengthen the Peace, Security and Tranquility of Nicaragua's Families.
Honor and Glory to our Heroes and Martyrs!
Long live the Ministry of the Interior!
Long live the National Police!
Rosario Reads Presidential Agreement No. 250-2023
Friends, what an honor! How Much Pride! How our hearts are filled with pride on this day when we are establishing and affirming the ways of the Future, based on what we are: A People with a Glorious History, we are full of that Glory, honored and honorable, creating the Future that Nicaragua's families deserve. We have dreamed and we have given so much, we deserve everything, and the Nicaraguan People, who are the architect of all the Victories, deserve the best.
Today, on this Day of National Pride, the President of the Republic has decided to issue this Decree given the proposal made by the Director General of the National Police, First Commissioner Francisco Javier Díaz Madriz, based on Article 13, Numerals 19 and 25 of the Law No. 872, “On The Organization, Functions, Career and Special Social Security Regime of the National Police”, and also on Law No. 1183, issued on 26th of December, yesterday, in this year 2023, the Provision N° 013-2023, proposing to the President, to the undersigned, the promotion in Grade of Commissioner General to the Vice Minister of the Ministry of the Interior, Comrade Luis Roberto Cañas Novoa.
2. Given that Article 44 of Law No. 872 "on the Organization, Functions, Career and Special Social Security Regime of the National Police" empowers the President of the Republic to approve and award the Ranks of Commissioner General, according to the corresponding positions according to the established Regulations. Also Law No. article 1183, in paragraph 1, of Article 2 establishes that the Deputy Minister who is the Head of the entire level of the Directorates-General shall be assigned the Rank of Commissioner-General.
Therefore, using the powers conferred on him by the Political Constitution, the President of the Republic, agrees :
1. To promote to the Rank of Commissioner General, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of the Interior, Compañero Luis Roberto Cañas Novoa.
And
2. This Agreement takes effect as of its publication in La Gaceta, Official Journal.
Issued in Managua, Government House, on December 27th today, in the year 2023.
With this disposition of our President we are also recognizing and honoring the Heroic, Victorious Legacy of the “Juan José Quezada" Commando, of the Sandinista National Liberation Front, breaking the silence 49 years ago today, and Always Further On.
Let's Go Onward!
Address by First Commissioner General
Francisco Javier Díaz Madriz
Director General of the National Police
Order Number 016-2023
From the Director General of the National Police, First Commissioner Francisco Javier Díaz Madriz, ordering the Promotion and Validation of Police Ranks for the Officials of the Directorates General of the Ministry of the Interior.
Considering:
First, that in accordance with Law 1883, which establishes the hierarchy of Ranks in the Directorates General of the Ministry of the Interior in its Article 4, the Ministry of the Interior and all its Directorates General become an integral part of the National Police.
Secondly, in order to strengthen and consolidate the hierarchy in the Directorates General of the Ministry of the Interior, it is necessary to promote to Police Ranks those officers who have managed to show merits for this purpose during this period.
That promotion to a Police Rank is a Professional Right enjoyed by all members of the Police Institution who meet the Requirements of Law 872, Law on Organization, Functions, Career and Special Social Security Regime of the National Police. And Law Number 1183, which establishes the hierarchy of Ranks in the Directorates General of the Ministry of the Interior, which constitute an important element in the Institutionality of the Police
Therefore,
Using the powers conferred on me by Law 872, Law on Organization, Functions, Career and Special Social Security Regime of the National Police, in its Title 2, Chapter 2, Article 13, Numbers 19 and 20. As well as Law Number 1183, which establishes the hierarchy of Ranks in the Directorates General of the Ministry of the Interior.
I order:
First: To promote to the Rank of Commissioner Major, the Compañeros: Juan Guillermo Orozco, Director General of the National Penitentiary System; Ramón Mercedes Pichardo, Director General of the Fire Department of Nicaragua; Juan Emilio Rivas Benítez, Director General of Migration and Foreigners.
Secondly: To promote to the Rank of Commissioner the following Compañeros: Venancio Daniel Alanís Ulloa, Deputy Director General of the National Penitentiary System; Leonel Enrique Velásquez Chavarría, Deputy Director General of the National Penitentiary System; José Luis Gómez Suazo, Inspector General of the National Penitentiary System; Lenin José Quiroz Briceño, Deputy Director General of the Fire Department of Nicaragua; Pedro José Morales Luna, Deputy Director of Migration and Foreigners; Ernesto David Moncada Solís, Inspector General of Migration and Aliens.
Third: To empower Commissioner General Luis Cañas Novoa, in compliance with Article 3 of Law 1183, to carry out the Validation and Conversion of Police Ranks, in accordance with the Validation and Conversion approved by the Undersigned which is attached to this Order.
Given in the City of Managua, on the twenty-seventh day of the month of December of the year 2023
First Commissioner Francisco Javier Díaz Madriz, Director General.
Address by Daniel
Nicaraguan brothers and sisters, Nicaraguan families, today is a very special day, because we are taking a historic step, uniting and strengthening our forces more, for the Defense, Security and Attention to Nicaraguan Families, and to those who also visit us, and we are going to take the Oath on behalf of the Nicaraguan People.
Do you promise before God, before the Nation, before the Nicaraguan People and Families to respect the Constitution and the Laws, the Rights and Freedoms of the People, and faithfully fulfill the Missions entrusted under the Fundamental Principles of the Ministry of the Interior, to guarantee the Security and Peace of our Nation?
Those Promoted: "Yes, we promise!”.
Daniel: If you do so, let the Nation and the People recognize them, but let them demand them.
Nicaraguan Brothers and Sisters, Dear Comrade Rosario Murillo, Vice President of the Republic; Comrade Gustavo Porras, President of the National Assembly; Comandante-in-Chief of our Nicaraguan Army, Army General Julio César Avilés Castillo; Major General Bayardo Ramón Rodríguez Ruiz, Chief of the General Staff; Major General Marvin Elías Corrales Rodríguez, Inspector General of our Nicaraguan Army.
Commissioner General Horacio Rocha, Minister Adviser for Security Affairs to Comrade President of the Republic; Commissioner General Zhukov Serrano, Deputy Director General of the National Police; Comrade Luis Cañas, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of the Interior.
Well, a very special greeting to the First Commissioner Francisco Díaz, Director General of our National Police... More work! No? More work! More Work, More Security, More Strength!
We are commemorating one more anniversary of the liberation of Sandinista prisoners, who had already been in prisons for more than 7 years, and it was the Juan José Quezada Commando, organized of course by the Sandinista Front and under the direction of Comandante Tomás Borge, in what was the preparation, training, plans, information gathering, that contributed to the successful action of the Commando.
49 Years, next year it's going to be 50 years, and Honor who Honor deserve. The Compañeras and Compañeros, members of the Commando who carried out such a Heroic Operation, their History cannot be denied given what heroic feats imply, and those who participated in the Commando indisputably demonstrated, at that moment, their Commitment, their Courage, for the Nicaraguan People and the Revolutionary Struggle that the Sandinista National Liberation Front had been waging.
Here we have the Commando: From right to left is the Head of the Command, the “Zero" Comandante, Eduardo Contreras, beloved Brother! Then there is Róger Deshón, Alberto Ríos, Joaquín Cuadra, Omar Halleslevens, Javier Carrión, Hilario Sánchez, our beloved Hilario; Leticia Herrera.
And sitting there on the floor, with his hat, with his cap, one of the greatest Heroes that the Sandinista Front has had in the Struggle, Comandante Germán Pomares, who fought and fought and fought, and then in the Final Offensive, when they were fighting to take Jinotega and he was at the head of that detachment, the audacity, the temerity, the conditions and the risks of a war, he was wounded. The Comrades took him up to the heights of the hill that overlooks Jinotega, and there Comandante Germán Pomares died. Then there is another Compañero who, when the Ministry of the Interior was founded, was in charge of the Intelligence area, Compañero Hugo Torres, a great combatant, and there with the checked trousers and the black blouse is Compañera Olga Avilés, another brave, heroic Combatant; that is to say, women were part of that Commando, 1, 2, 3 Compañeras.
Then our beloved Companera who is next to Olga, she was the youngest of all, Eleonora Rocha, sister of our brother Horacio Rocha. Greetings to Eleonora, our embrace, our love. And down there, looking at the distance is that brother from León Felix Pedro Picado, there were several from Leon, along with Felix Pedro Picado.
With the continuation of the struggle many of these Brothers and Sisters fell in combat. Pomares, as I was telling you; Compañero Alberto Ríos, who was from León, also from León; Hilario Sánchez, Róger Deshón, and the Head of the Command, Eduardo Contreras.
He fell in combat in an ambush here in Managua, when we were here in Managua preparing to go into the mountains and gather to unify the Front, and here he fell in combat practically the same day that our Comandante-in-Chief, Carlos Fonseca, fell in combat there up in the mountains.
And when we arrived in Cuba, after the mediation of Cardinal Miguel Obando, when we arrived in Cuba, there was of course the Solidarity of Fidel, of the People of Cuba, we met Carlos. Carlos was in Cuba at that time, and there were many Comrades who were preparing, who were studying, and there took place the first exchange we had with Carlos, with Eduardo Contreras, about changing the strategy of struggle that we were bringing, that took place.
There we began to talk about the Insurrection, inspired by the Insurrections that had been waged in other Nations, in other Countries, including the October Insurrection. It was a method of struggle that we could not rule out and we said that we had to seek how the People might join the fight and not be taking more Compañeras and Compañeros to the mountains, because there the situation was disadvantageous, so disadvantageous that Carlos was killed up in the mountain.
So then, when we traveled from Cuba to Nicaragua we entered clandestinely, we began to hold meetings here to work on the insurrectional struggle. Well, as for the insurrectionary struggle, we can say that this was the first step, because this was already an issue that we even debated while in prison, we felt that we were stuck.
Detachments of heroic Compañeras and Compañeros up there in the mountains who had no chance of striking the enemy, but rather the enemy hitting, striking, and then Carlos Aguero died. My friends were constantly falling on the mountain. We had no conditions or possibilities, despite the courage of the Compañeras and Compañeros, the bravery of the Compañeros and Compañeras, the sacrifice of the Compañeros and Compañeras, there was no tactical-military capacity to get going; the correlation of forces was too disadvantageous. Actually the detachments of the Front in the mountains were such small detachments that the National Guard, as they did in Pancasan, managed to disrupt them, destroy them.
And Carlos was convinced that we had to go to Insurrection, that we had to go on the Offensive, hence the heroic action of the Commando opened the doors so that we could advance towards the Insurrectional Struggle, in the midst of disagreements, but in the end achieving Unity, until the defeat of the Somoza tyranny on July 19th 1979.
Today, beloved Brothers and Sisters, beloved Compañeras and Compañeros, is a historic day, because we really had two Forces here at the Triumph of the Revolution, two solid Forces, the Army and the Ministry of the Interior, and we managed to defeat the Counterrevolution, armed, financed, trained by the United States of America, which installed bases in Honduras and Costa Rica, which served as support, and which involved airplanes, helicopters, to supply the mercenaries with weapons. And we managed to down a helicopter of theirs.
And when we defeated the Counterrevolution and went to the 1990 elections, these two great detachments, the People's Army and the Ministry of the Interior, were intact. The Right Wing came into Government, and when the Right Wing came into the Government seeking how to destroy us; to destroy us they had to find out how to wear us down, how to weaken us in the Army and the Police, that is, in the Army and the Ministry of the Interior.
The Ministry of the Interior, with many areas to attend to, but with combative cohesion, they wanted to turn it into a bureaucratic instrument, and the first thing they did was change the name of the Ministry of the Interior, and they named it the Ministry of Governance.
And they immediately placed some enemies of the People, enemies of the Revolution, at the head of that Ministry of the Interior to try and find out how to break up the Ministry of the Interior, to try and find out how to undermine the Ministry of the Interior, even to find out how to undermine the Police, yes, using the Ministries they had, because they had what they called the Ministry of Governance that subordinated the Police; that is, the Ministry of Governance suppressed the Ministry of the Interior. They also put in place Defense Ministers, seeking how to break down, how to weaken the Army.
I would say that where they did the most damage to us was in the Ministry of the Interior because they fragmented it, and by dividing it or fragmenting it was easier to break it down. And the step we are taking today of bringing the Ministry of the Interior back to life is a step that gives us enormous strength, and so we once again can count on the two great instruments with which we defeated the Counterrevolution: The Army and the Ministry of the Interior!
Of course, this changes the correlation of Forces, because it strengthens the correlation of forces in the Ministry of the Interior, where the Police are already one, they are no longer separate; along with the Firefighters, the Compañeras and Compañeros in the Prison System, those in Migration, all together we are now in a better position to fulfill tasks preventing the enemy from advancing in their plans, because those people are always conspiring, they are always with their plans.
Beloved people of Nicaragua, beloved Nicaraguan Brothers and Sisters, how much joy and pride it gives us to be able to take this great step... This is a historic step!
People of Nicaragua, you have the Army and the Ministry of the Interior here to continue fighting the battle.
Long live the Ministry of the Interior!
Long live the Nicaraguan Army!
Sandino Lives on, the Struggle Continues!
A Free Nation or Death!
Remarks by Rosario, Vice President of Nicaragua,
after the Act of Commemoration of the 44th Anniversary of the Foundation
of the Ministry of the Interior and the 49th Anniversary
of the Heroic Deed of the “Juan José Quezada” Command
December 27th 2023
What can one say...? We have said so much and done so much, and made our way so much, and We Move Onward!
As our Comandante Daniel said, a Historic Day, like so many other Historic Days that we live in this Patriotic Nicaragua, of Patriotic Nationhood and Freedom, of a Free Nation... Forever Free, Forever Dignified, Forever Sovereign!
Today, we not only encountering ourselves, but transcending once again the destruction, that they sought, that they wanted to impose on us. But our People, our Nicaragua, which knows of Struggle and knows about Honor, also knows that it is impossible to destroy the Soul of a People, the Heroic Soul, the Heroic, Victorious Heart of a People. Everything has its time... And the time to build has arrived!
When they sought to destroy us, in 2018, they taught us to strengthen the Soul so as to keep on building. Who taught us that? Life, History, not the coup plotters, not the terrorists, not the criminals, not the devil worshipers, Life, to become aware that you have to take care of what you have, and take care of it every day.
And what we are doing today is precautionary, it is caring, it is loving, it is guarding and protecting Peace and Strength, the Strength of our People, which is the Strength of Love. Without love it is impossible to achieve all that the Nicaraguan people have achieved. Without Love, a Darío, a Sandino would not have come to us, we would not have that Heroic History of our Original Peoples. We are a People of Love, an Undefeated Love and an Invincible Love!
Today we know it, tomorrow we will know it, the day after tomorrow we will know it even more, and the most important thing for us is to recognize the Value of everything we have done and what we continue to do, because we work out of Love and with Love. And when we say, we are a People of Love, of Trust, of Faith, of Hope, we also say, we are a People who have banished hatred.
Hatred has had a thousand faces throughout our history, and above all the hatred on the part of the Imperialists and the Colonialists of the Earth, who have their servants, their vassals, their lackeys. But Love is Powerful and it is more Powerful than Empires, and step by step, above all by becoming aware of the Value of Love, of the Vigor of Love, Let's Move Onward!
Not only has no one ever given up here, but here we know too how to recognize the Hand of God in our Hearts, the Hand of God in our Lives, and the Strength that God gives us, which is precisely the Strength of His Love filling us all and giving us so much.
So much Strength to live, Strength to make our way, Strength to understand, Strength to transcend, and because we understand, we transcend, and we know that it is not a particular Strength of a Person, it is the Strength of God moving in this Sacred, Miraculous, Portentous and Mysterious People. Because Christ Jesus is here!
We are a Christian, Socialist, Sandinista and Solidarity People, and no one can defeat that Force. It is what we know, it is what we learn, and it is what we also manage to recognize every day with the Humility that characterizes us. Without God nothing is possible, without love nothing is possible, as history is proving.
The Great, Grandiose People of Darío, of Sandino, of Zeledón, who have been able to give everything for Love, that Undefeated People is Going Forward, Always Further On, towards New Victories!
A warm embrace, Compañeras and Compañeros, and a 2024 to continue to be blessed... This Patriotic Nation, on the 45th Anniversary, the Patriotic Nation, the Revolution. A warm embrace to all Nicaragua’s families. Thank you, Compañeras and Compañeros.