'I COULD feel my stomach churning and tears welled up in my eyes at the thought of those screws scrutinising my body, naked and pregnant'. These are the month pregnant woman prisoner after being strip-searched last month in the North of unfortunately, is not unusual.
Recent statistics even show an increase — with 70 strip-searches in April compared with 59 the month before in the prison. women, babies have also been 'searched' in this women to words of a fiveArmagh jail in Her experience As well as pregnant Contra Columns operating in Nicaragua being rapidly broken and driven out by the Sandinistas. The defeat of Reagan's aid proposals last month has put them into some disarray.
The military — now worried by the real prospect 15,000 defeated, frustrated. armed bomozistas mercenaries concenfraten in arce camos thai the Sandinistas are beginning to hit Have JulI disperse them into smaller, less dangerous, but less ef fective camps.
The administration has responded with proposals for offered this time, to shore up the Contras saoging strength and morale. Further, Pentagon has begun said to include Nicaraguas military aircraft, the construction pi a militar base in Nicarague that be by the Soviet Union. remember the airport in Grenada?
For the time being, al this is likely to be designed lo scare lie congress SItU voting the increased Condra and a soccer con than having send the blue eyed boys into the teeth of Nicaraguas popular resistance.
American secretary of state George Schultz put it plainiy. In April this year he said: 'Our goals in Central America are like those had in Vietnam.' Meanwhile here in Britain, the Campaign called for actions on 4 July, US Independence Day, to focus Americar attempts deny independence to Nicaragua. • 3 12am-2pm:
picket at embassy Grosvenor Square, London. The petition against the US trade embargo will be handed in and the ambassador will be offered a pound of Nicaraguan coffee. Will he break the embargo and accept it? • 4 July, 'Not the Boston Tea a rally Jubilee Gardens South Bank (by the GLC) at 4.30 with Meg Beresford (CND), Paul Boateng, and other speakers. This will be followed by a concert at 6.45pm with cabaret and music (Skint Video confirmed). • These everes will launch the Container nroiects to send direct aid .Vicaragua and break irit Posters Public meeting to launch leaflets and petition forms available from NSC, 20-21 Compton Terrace, London NI. Be there!
Nicaragua: The Sandinista