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TITLE: American Nurse Hiding in Nicaragua, Reportedly Ill |
AUTHOR: Filadelfo Aleman |
PUB: AP |
DATE: December 15, 2000 |
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A 70-year-old American nurse hiding in Nicaragua is reportedly extremely ill as officials try to force her from the country for allegedly treating leftist rebels. Human rights groups described Dorothy Granada's health as deplorable, though they didn't further explain her condition. Interior Minister Jose Marenco insisted Friday that Granada needed to leave the country or face criminal charges. Officials revoked her residency last week. Marenco has accused Granada of caring for members of a leftist paramilitary group of ex-Sandinista soldiers, and performing illegal abortions. A Santa Cruz, Calif., based humanitarian group, the Women's Empowerment Network, has argued in her favor, saying Granada has only tried to provide health care for poor Nicaraguans. Granada, a former California resident whose hometown was not available, arrived in Nicaragua in 1990, establishing a clinic in remote Muukuku village, 150 miles northeast of Managua, the capital. The Nicaraguan Human Rights Center said Granada is "in hiding and very sick" while waiting for her case to be resolved. The center has asked the courts to throw out the deportation order, and Nicaraguan supporters, including five former Contra rebels, have pleaded her case before the country's Congress. A U.S. Embassy official said officials are closely following the case. END |