The Foreign Office has finally found something to agree on: a spot of righteous indignation. A Nicaraguan indigenous leader, name of Lesther Alemán, has shuffled off this mortal coil in a Managuan prison cell, and Whitehall has dusted off its sternest vocabulary. ‘Deeply concerned,’ they said. ‘Human rights abuse,’ they cried. One almost expects them to send a strongly worded letter on Commons notepaper, perhaps with a picture of the Queen wagging a finger.
Alemán, a leader of the Miskito people, was a thorn in the side of Daniel Ortega’s increasingly autocratic regime. He was arrested, naturally, for ‘conspiracy’ and ‘threats to national stability,’ which in Nicaragua translates to ‘having a loud voice and a spine.’ He died just days after receiving medical attention for a heart condition, a condition that seems to have worsened dramatically in state custody. The official cause of death is pending, which is diplomatic code for ‘we’ll tell you after the funeral, when we’ve had time to invent something plausible.’
Now, the UK. The UK has condemned the death. Good for them. A bit like the Pope condemning sin, but at least it’s on the record. The Foreign Office statement was a masterpiece of diplomatic theatre: ‘We urge the Nicaraguan government to ensure a full, transparent investigation.’ Translation: ‘We don’t expect you to do anything, but we have to say this because the Times is watching.’ It’s the same hollow drumbeat we hear every time a dissident dies far from Whitehall’s gaze: the beat of impotent moralising.
But let’s not be too hard on the diplomats. After all, they’ve had a busy year, perfecting the art of outrage. They’ve condemned Russia, berated China, and tutted at Iran. Nicaragua is just the latest postcard from the abattoir. The real question is: what will they do about it? Sanctions? A strongly worded resolution at the UN? Perhaps Lord Ahmad will sit down for a cup of tea with Ortega and explain, very gently, that murdering indigenous leaders is not the done thing. Of course, Ortega is too busy clinging to power to attend such a meeting.
Meanwhile, Alemán’s death is a stark reminder that human rights are a luxury for those not in the firing line of autocrats. The Miskito people have lost a leader. The UK has lost the chance to do anything meaningful. And the gin in my glass grows warm with frustration. But at least we have a press release. That’s something, isn’t it? No, it isn’t. It’s nothing but hot air in a wind tunnel.
So here’s to Lesther Alemán, a man who died for speaking truth to power. And here’s to the UK, which speaks truth to power in a language power doesn’t understand. The only language that matters is action, but action requires a spine, and spines are in short supply in the corridors of SW1A.
The Nicaraguan regime will shrug off this condemnation like water off a crocodile’s back. The UK will move on to the next crisis. And somewhere, a Miskito mother will weep for her son. That is the real story, the one the Foreign Office press release cannot capture. But I can. And I have. For what it’s worth.
