A SATISFACTORY Verdict: Foreign Minister Bruno Stagno yesterday spoke to the press about the Inter-American Court of Human Rights' (IACHR) dismissal of a lawsuit in which Nicaragua accused Costa Rica of discriminating against Nicaraguan immigrants. Stagno said he was “pleased” with the court's ruling the case inadmissible.

Several groups in Costa Rica will be joining forces with those in the United States and other countries in holding protests this weekend to mark the four-year anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, according to Isabel Macdonald, coordinator of the Friends' Peace Center.

Speaker's Forum – “Teaching Critical Thinking”
Harry Grzelewski, Country Day Middle School principal, presents an innovative way of teaching, 7-8:30 p.m., Big Mike's, Escazú, west of San José. Info: 289-6333, 821-4708, 289-6087.

Martes por la Noche
Featuring pianist Evangelina Sánchez playing works by Haydn and Mozart, 7 p.m., University of Costa Rica (UCR) School of Music, room 107, San Pedro, east of San José.

By Leland Baxter-Neal
Tico Times Staff | lbaxter@ticotimes.net

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) has dismissed a lawsuit accusing Costa Rica of discriminating against Nicaraguan Immigrants, the Foreign Ministry announced yesterday.

The suit, filed by the Nicaraguan government in February 2005, accused the Costa Rican government of denying Nicaraguan immigrants their basic rights. The suit was based on the deaths of two Nicaraguan immigrants in Costa Rica in 2005 and was the first time the IACHR heard a case presented by one country against another.

“We are pleased by this resolution,” said Foreign Minister Bruno Stagno in a press conference yesterday afternoon.

The ruling sends “a conclusive message on the history of solidarity of the Costa Rican people with Nicaraguans, and proves wrong the unjust accusations of supposed xenophobia and discrimination made by the former Nicaraguan governmen, ” he added.

The minister explained that the 72-page IACHR ruling listed various reasons why Nicaragua's case was inadmissible. One principal reason was because the internal means of justice had not been exhausted when the suit was presented, Stagno emphasized.

Nicaragua filed the suit in February 2006, based on the deaths of two Nicaraguans immigrants – one who had been mauled to death by two Rottweiler guard dogs in November 2005 (TT, Nov. 18, 2005), and a second who had been murdered in December 2005 (TT, Dec. 9, 2005). Stagno pointed out two months was not long enough to give the Costa Rican system a chance to act.

Passengers crossing the Gulf of Nicoya between the Pacific port of Puntarenas and the Nicoya town of Paquera now have three ferries to choose from, thanks to the temporary resolution of a dispute over the concession for this service announced yesterday by the Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MOPT).

Historically, two ferries have made the aquatic trip between these two towns: one run by the Association for the Integral Development of Paquera (ADIP), a community organization, and another by the private company Naviera Tambor. In a statement released last month, MOPT informed that ADIP would “cease its labor” and that Naviera Tambor had been given the concession to run two ferries.

The announcement led members of the Paquera community to begin protesting at their town's dock on March 7, blocking ferries from entering. They argued that stripping the concession from ADIP takes away a vital source of income for the community, according to the daily La Nación.

During a meeting yesterday with Public Works and Transport Minister Karla González, Labor Minister Francisco Morales and residents from the area, the temporary solution was reached that three ferries will run this route. ADIP's ferry will resume operating through December 31, while Naviera Tambor's two ferries also offer this service, as the concession dictates. Protestors have promised to clear the way for this plan to go into effect, according to a MOPT statement released yesterday.

Meanwhile, a mixed commission made up of representatives of MOPT, the Labor Ministry and ADIP will analyze the problem and come up with a future solution.

González said having three ferries will make traveling to and from the Nicoya Peninsula easier for residents of towns such as Cóbano and Malpaís, who in the past have been inconvenienced by infrequent ferry service, according to the statement. Crossing the Gulf of Nicoya is the only direct way to travel between Puntarenas and the southern part of the peninsula.

-Tico Times

By Amanda Roberson
Tico Times Staff | aroberson@ticotimes.net