George Henriquez

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Henriquez and the second or maternal family name is Cayasso.

George Patrick Henriquez Cayasso
Henriquez in 2020
Born	c. 1986 (age 37–38) Pearl Lagoon, Nicaragua
Education	Bluefields Indian and Caribbean University University of the Autonomous Regions of the Nicaraguan Caribbean Coast
Occupation	Activist

George Patrick Henriquez Cassayo (born c. 1986)^[1] is a Nicaraguan activist. Hailing from Nicaragua's Caribbean Coast, Henriquez is a former YATAMA party activist and served on its behalf as a member of the executive committee unified National Coalition opposition group in 2020. In 2021 he was a pre-candidate for president in the Nicaraguan general election with the Citizens for Liberty Alliance (ACxL).

Early life

George Patrick Henriquez Cassayo was born in Laguna de Perla and resides in Bluefields, Nicaragua.^[2] He is a native Creole speaker.^[2] He graduated from Bluefields Indian and Caribbean University (BICU) where he studied tourism and hotel business administration.^[1] He also earned a master's degree in gender, ethnicity and intercultural citizenship from University of the Autonomous Regions of the Nicaraguan Caribbean Coast (UCCRAN).^[1]

Career

In the 2016 general elections, Henriquez was a candidate for South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region (RACCS) regional deputy for YATAMA to the National Assembly.^[1]

He was a member of national council of the Blue and White National Unity movement, and is a member of the Autoconvened Coastal Movement of Bluefields; he has been subject to police surveillance and harassment of those activities.^[3] In 2019, judging him to be at risk of grave, urgent and irreparable harm, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights issued precautionary measures intended to protect his life.^[4]

Supporters including Saturnino Cerrato (front row, right) applaud as Henriquez signs the National Coalition proclamation in February 2020

On February 25, 2020, Henriquez signed the proclamation of unity of the National Coalition, on behalf of the YATAMA regional party.^[2] The signatory organizations pledged to work to develop a unified opposition to mount an electoral challenge to Daniel Ortega, following on years of protest in the country.^[2] The other representatives signing the document were Jesús Tefel, Medardo Mairena, Carlos Tünnerman, Saturnino Cerrato, Luis Fley, and María Haydee Osuna.^[2]

In July 2020, he became a member of the executive committee of the National Coalition, likewise representing the YATAMA party.^[1]

On June 3, 2021, Henriquez formalized his intention to become a pre-candidate for president with the Citizens for Liberty Alliance (ACxL), and announced he had disaffiliated from the YATAMA party and presented as an independent candidate.^[5] The split came over YATAMA leader, National Assembly Deputy Brooklyn Rivera’s vote to re-elect FSLN loyalist Lumberto Campbell to the Supreme Electoral Council.^[5] If nominated, Henriquez would have faced FSLN incumbent Daniel Ortega, who seeks a fourth re-election to the presidency in the general election of November 7, 2021. Henriquez would have been the first black candidate for the presidency of Nicaragua; he was the youngest (35) in the contest.^[6]

Henriquez has expressed his position on issues such as the rights of the LGBTIQ community and women, the autonomy of the Caribbean Coast including; sanitation, advancement of the agricultural and livestock frontier, territorial demarcation, economic decentralization, educational decentralization and his vision of the country's political class.^[7]

References

1. Álvarez, Leonor. "Estos Son Los 21 Delegados Que Integran El Comité De La Coalición Nacional." La Prensa. July 15, 2020 via ProQuest.
2. Álvarez, Leonor (27 February 2020). "George Henríquez Cayasso, Líder Creole De Yatama: 'La Ley Electoral Limita Nuestra Participación Política a Nivel Regional'" [George Henríquez Cayasso, Creole leader of Yatama: "The Electoral Law limits our political participation at the regional level"]. La Prensa (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2021-06-24.
3. Cruz, Ana. "Policía Asedia y Retiene Ilegalmente Al Activista George Henríquez, En Bluefields." Archived 2021-06-08 at the Wayback Machine La Prensa, Jan 26, 2020, via ProQuest.
4. "COMISIÓN INTERAMERICANA DE DERECHOS HUMANOS RESOLUCIÓN 21/2019 Medidas cautelares No. 566-18 Jennifer Brown Bracket y George Henríquez Cayasso respecto de Nicaragua (Líderes del "Movimiento Costeño Auto Convocado" en la Costa Caribe Sur)" (PDF). Organization of American States. April 12, 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
5. Díaz López, Karen. "George Henríquez y María Eugenia Alonso Oficializan Su Intención De Inscribirse Como Precandidatos En La Alianza CxL." Archived 2021-06-03 at the Wayback Machine La Prensa, June 3, 2021. Via ProQuest.
6. "Por primera vez un hombre negro aspira a ser presidente de Nicaragua". SWI swissinfo.ch (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2021-04-19. Retrieved 2021-04-19.
7. "George Henríquez: "Soy el candidato más joven" a la Presidencia de Nicaragua". Confidencial (in Spanish). 2021-01-21. Archived from the original on 2021-04-16. Retrieved 2021-04-19.