Nora Astorga
Encyclopedia
Nora Astorga Gadea de Jenkins (circa 1948 — February 14, 1988) was a Nicaraguan
guerrilla
fighter in the Nicaraguan Revolution of 1979
, a lawyer, politician, judge and the Nicaragua
n ambassador to the United Nations
from 1986 to 1988.
. She was the first child of a lumber exporter and rancher with connections to the powerful ruling Somoza
family. In her youth she was a devout Roman Catholic, often doing charitable work in the poor neighborhoods of Managua.
In 1967, she announced to her family's dismay that she supported Fernando Agüero
, not his opponent Anastasio Somoza Debayle
, in the presidential election. For her personal safety and to "straighten her out," her family sent her to study medicine in the United States
, where she remained from 1967 to 1969. However, the animal dissections disturbed her and she had to abandon her studies. She said of the years she spent in Washington, D.C.
, "What impressed me most about the United States
were the social contrasts and above all the racism
. I had never seen racism like that in Nicaragua ... [m]y political consciousness was born then."
Astorga married Jorge Jenkins when she was 22. Astorga had four children, two with her husband, two with Jose Maria Alvarado, a member of the Sandinistas.
At age 22, she married Jorge Jenkins, a student activist. The young couple spent the following year in Italy
, where he studied anthropology and she studied banking law and computer programming. They had two children and separated after five years of marriage. During this time, Astorga led a double life as a mother of two and a corporate lawyer for one of Nicaragua's largest construction companies, while clandestinely
aiding the Sandinistas.
After the assassination of newspaper editor Pedro Chamorro in 1978, Astorga decided to take up arms against the Somoza regime. "I finally understood that armed struggle was the only solution, that a rifle cannot be met with a flower, that we were in the streets, but if that force didn't get organized we wouldn't achieve much", she said. "For me, it was the moment of conviction: either I took up arms and made a total commitment or I wasn't going to change anything."
She gained national attention for her participation in the botched kidnapping and murder of General Reynaldo Pérez Vega (nicknamed "El Perro," or "the dog"). Pérez Vega was deputy commander of Anastasio Somoza’s National Guard. On March 8, 1978 (International Women's Day
, ironically) Astorga invited the general to her apartment in Managua
, hinting to him that the sexual favors he had long been seeking would be granted. When he arrived, however, three members of the Sandinista National Liberation Front
(FSLN) — Hilario Sánchez, Raúl Venerio and Walter Ferreti — burst out of her bedroom closet and seized the general. The plan was to ransom
him for jailed Sandinista revolutionaries, but Pérez Vega put up a struggle and was murdered. Later, with his throat slit, he was found wrapped in a Sandinista flag. Astorga said of his murder, "It was not murder. He was too much of a monster."
In an interview shortly before her death, she described her feelings about her role in the Pérez Vega murder this way:
She became the subject of a national manhunt and next appeared to the Nicaraguan public on the pages of La Prensa, the nation's opposition newspaper. She was wearing jungle fatigues and carrying an AK-47 assault rifle
. Astorga had escaped to the jungle and joined the Sandinista revolutionaries. There, she became pregnant with her third child by José María Alvarado, a leading Sandinista.
In 1984, her appointment as ambassador to the United States was refused by the Reagan administration
because of her involvement in the killing of General Reynaldo Pérez Vega. Vega had been a CIA
operative.
Astorga became a deputy representative to the United Nations
in 1984, and in March 1986, became the Nicaraguan ambassador to that body, a position she held until her death in 1988. She was instrumental in getting the United Nations to recognize a ruling by the International Court of Justice
, Nicaragua v. United States, that declared the United States' support for the Contras illegal.
in Managua
, aged 39. She was awarded the title "Hero of the Fatherland and Revolution" and the Order of Carlos Fonseca
on July 1987, which was the highest order of Nicaragua at the time.
She appears as one of the twelve apostles in the mural of the Visitación at Casa Ave Maria in Managua. A barrio
, or neighborhood, in Managua was named for her.
The 1986 song "Mariel" by the KBC Band was inspired by Nora Astorga.
Nicaraguan
Nicaraguans are people inhabiting in, originating or having significant heritage from Nicaragua. Most Nicaraguans live in Nicaragua, although there is also a significant Nicaraguan diaspora, particularly in Costa Rica and the United States with smaller communities in other countries around the world...
guerrilla
Guerrilla warfare
Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare and refers to conflicts in which a small group of combatants including, but not limited to, armed civilians use military tactics, such as ambushes, sabotage, raids, the element of surprise, and extraordinary mobility to harass a larger and...
fighter in the Nicaraguan Revolution of 1979
Nicaraguan Revolution
The Nicaraguan Revolution encompasses the rising opposition to the Somoza dictatorship in the 1960s and 1970s, the campaign led by the Sandinista National Liberation Front which led to the violent ousting of that dictatorship in 1979, and the...
, a lawyer, politician, judge and the Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
n ambassador to the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
from 1986 to 1988.
Early life and education
Astorga was born to a religious,upper middle-class family in ManaguaManagua
Managua is the capital city of Nicaragua as well as the department and municipality by the same name. It is the largest city in Nicaragua in terms of population and geographic size. Located on the southwestern shore of Lake Xolotlán or Lake Managua, the city was declared the national capital in...
. She was the first child of a lumber exporter and rancher with connections to the powerful ruling Somoza
Somoza
The Somoza family was an influential political dynasty who ruled Nicaragua as an hereditary dictatorship. Their influence exceeded their combined 43 years in the de facto presidency, as they were the power behind the other presidents of the time through their control of the National Guard...
family. In her youth she was a devout Roman Catholic, often doing charitable work in the poor neighborhoods of Managua.
In 1967, she announced to her family's dismay that she supported Fernando Agüero
Fernando Agüero
Fernando Bernabé Agüero Rocha was a Nicaraguan politician and the founder and leader of the Social Conservative Party. In 1967 Agüero was chosen to represent the conservative 1966 National Opposition Union in the presidential election against the Somoza regime...
, not his opponent Anastasio Somoza Debayle
Anastasio Somoza Debayle
Anastasio Somoza Debayle was a Nicaraguan leader and officially the 73rd and 76th President of Nicaragua from 1 May 1967 to 1 May 1972 and from 1 December 1974 to 17 July 1979. As head of the National Guard, he was de facto ruler of the country from 1967 to 1979...
, in the presidential election. For her personal safety and to "straighten her out," her family sent her to study medicine in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where she remained from 1967 to 1969. However, the animal dissections disturbed her and she had to abandon her studies. She said of the years she spent in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, "What impressed me most about the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
were the social contrasts and above all the racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
. I had never seen racism like that in Nicaragua ... [m]y political consciousness was born then."
Astorga married Jorge Jenkins when she was 22. Astorga had four children, two with her husband, two with Jose Maria Alvarado, a member of the Sandinistas.
A revolutionary
Astorga later returned to Nicaragua and studied law at the Universidad Centroamericana in Managua. Her association with Nicaragua's Sandinista revolutionaries began during her years as a university student. From 1969 to 1973, she was responsible for finding safe houses and transportation for the revolutionary leader Oscar Turcios.At age 22, she married Jorge Jenkins, a student activist. The young couple spent the following year in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, where he studied anthropology and she studied banking law and computer programming. They had two children and separated after five years of marriage. During this time, Astorga led a double life as a mother of two and a corporate lawyer for one of Nicaragua's largest construction companies, while clandestinely
Clandestine operation
A clandestine operation is an intelligence or military operation carried out in such a way that the operation goes unnoticed.The United States Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms defines "clandestine operation" as "An operation sponsored or conducted by governmental...
aiding the Sandinistas.
After the assassination of newspaper editor Pedro Chamorro in 1978, Astorga decided to take up arms against the Somoza regime. "I finally understood that armed struggle was the only solution, that a rifle cannot be met with a flower, that we were in the streets, but if that force didn't get organized we wouldn't achieve much", she said. "For me, it was the moment of conviction: either I took up arms and made a total commitment or I wasn't going to change anything."
She gained national attention for her participation in the botched kidnapping and murder of General Reynaldo Pérez Vega (nicknamed "El Perro," or "the dog"). Pérez Vega was deputy commander of Anastasio Somoza’s National Guard. On March 8, 1978 (International Women's Day
International Women's Day
International Women's Day , originally called International Working Women’s Day, is marked on March 8 every year. In different regions the focus of the celebrations ranges from general celebration of respect, appreciation and love towards women to a celebration for women's economic, political and...
, ironically) Astorga invited the general to her apartment in Managua
Managua
Managua is the capital city of Nicaragua as well as the department and municipality by the same name. It is the largest city in Nicaragua in terms of population and geographic size. Located on the southwestern shore of Lake Xolotlán or Lake Managua, the city was declared the national capital in...
, hinting to him that the sexual favors he had long been seeking would be granted. When he arrived, however, three members of the Sandinista National Liberation Front
Sandinista National Liberation Front
The Sandinista National Liberation Front is a socialist political party in Nicaragua. Its members are called Sandinistas in both English and Spanish...
(FSLN) — Hilario Sánchez, Raúl Venerio and Walter Ferreti — burst out of her bedroom closet and seized the general. The plan was to ransom
Ransom
Ransom is the practice of holding a prisoner or item to extort money or property to secure their release, or it can refer to the sum of money involved.In an early German law, a similar concept was called bad influence...
him for jailed Sandinista revolutionaries, but Pérez Vega put up a struggle and was murdered. Later, with his throat slit, he was found wrapped in a Sandinista flag. Astorga said of his murder, "It was not murder. He was too much of a monster."
In an interview shortly before her death, she described her feelings about her role in the Pérez Vega murder this way:
She became the subject of a national manhunt and next appeared to the Nicaraguan public on the pages of La Prensa, the nation's opposition newspaper. She was wearing jungle fatigues and carrying an AK-47 assault rifle
AK-47
The AK-47 is a selective-fire, gas-operated 7.62×39mm assault rifle, first developed in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is officially known as Avtomat Kalashnikova . It is also known as a Kalashnikov, an "AK", or in Russian slang, Kalash.Design work on the AK-47 began in the last year...
. Astorga had escaped to the jungle and joined the Sandinista revolutionaries. There, she became pregnant with her third child by José María Alvarado, a leading Sandinista.
Justice Minister and UN Representative
After the Sandinistas took power in July 1979, Astorga was appointed Vice Minister of Justice. In that position she oversaw the trials of some 7,500 members of Somoza's National Guard.In 1984, her appointment as ambassador to the United States was refused by the Reagan administration
Reagan Administration
The United States presidency of Ronald Reagan, also known as the Reagan administration, was a Republican administration headed by Ronald Reagan from January 20, 1981, to January 20, 1989....
because of her involvement in the killing of General Reynaldo Pérez Vega. Vega had been a CIA
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
operative.
Astorga became a deputy representative to the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
in 1984, and in March 1986, became the Nicaraguan ambassador to that body, a position she held until her death in 1988. She was instrumental in getting the United Nations to recognize a ruling by the International Court of Justice
International Court of Justice
The International Court of Justice is the primary judicial organ of the United Nations. It is based in the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands...
, Nicaragua v. United States, that declared the United States' support for the Contras illegal.
Death at age 39
On February 14, 1988, "La Norita" died of cervical cancerCervical cancer
Cervical cancer is malignant neoplasm of the cervix uteri or cervical area. One of the most common symptoms is abnormal vaginal bleeding, but in some cases there may be no obvious symptoms until the cancer is in its advanced stages...
in Managua
Managua
Managua is the capital city of Nicaragua as well as the department and municipality by the same name. It is the largest city in Nicaragua in terms of population and geographic size. Located on the southwestern shore of Lake Xolotlán or Lake Managua, the city was declared the national capital in...
, aged 39. She was awarded the title "Hero of the Fatherland and Revolution" and the Order of Carlos Fonseca
Carlos Fonseca
For the Brazilian boxer with the same name see Carlos Fonseca .Carlos Fonseca Amador was a Nicaraguan teacher and librarian who founded the Sandinista National Liberation Front...
on July 1987, which was the highest order of Nicaragua at the time.
She appears as one of the twelve apostles in the mural of the Visitación at Casa Ave Maria in Managua. A barrio
Barrio
Barrio is a Spanish word meaning district or neighborhood.-Usage:In its formal usage in English, barrios are generally considered cohesive places, sharing, for example, a church and traditions such as feast days...
, or neighborhood, in Managua was named for her.
The 1986 song "Mariel" by the KBC Band was inspired by Nora Astorga.
Further reading
- Patricia Daniel (1998) No Other Reality, the Life and Times of Nora Astorga (CAM: Bangor [UK]).
- Margaret Randall and Lynda Yanz (1995) Sandino's Daughters: Testimonies of Nicaraguan Women in Struggle (Rutgers University Press).
External links
- Nora Astorga in Her Own Words, an English translation of the interview with Nora Astorga in Revista Envío.