Twenty-seven years ago Ben Linder was killed by U.S. backed counterrevolutionary forces while building small hydroelectric dams to bring electricity to remote villages in the mountains of northern Nicaragua. Ben was only twenty-seven years of age when he was murdered along with two co-workers, Pablo Rosales and Sergio Hernandez.
During the 1980’s people like Ben, Pablo and Sergio were deliberately targeted throughout Nicaragua by contra forces as part of a U.S. military doctrine called of “low intensity warfare” in which the intent is to terrorize the civilian population. During the 1980’s, the United States sponsored contra forces targeted the civilian population with the objective of destroying the Sandinista revolution.
On this 27th anniversary of his murder, we thank Ben for his gift of light and hope.