Dora Maria Tellez Nicaraguan revolutionary and historian Date of Birth: 21.11.1995 Country: Nicaragua

1. Early Life and Education
2. Armed Struggle against the Somoza Dictatorship
3. The Sandinista Revolution and Government Service
4. Opposition within the Sandinista Movement
5. Hunger Strike and Protest Movement
6. Academic Career and Historical Research
7. Denied Entry to the United States
8. Author and Legacy

Dora María Téllez: Nicaraguan Revolutionary, Historian, and Opposition Figure

Early Life and Education

Dora María Téllez was born and raised in Matagalpa, Nicaragua, to an anticlerical middle-class family. She attended the Catholic girls' school Colegio de Señoritas "San José" and later studied medicine at the University of León, where she became interested in the ideas of the Sandinistas.

Armed Struggle against the Somoza Dictatorship

In 1974, Téllez joined the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) and actively participated in the armed struggle against the dictatorship of Anastasio Somoza. She left medical school in 1976 and joined a guerrilla unit. She fought in the north of the country, in the Ocotal region, and became one of the key military leaders of the Sandinistas. In 1978, she led the attack on the National Palace, taking over 1,500 hostages.

The Sandinista Revolution and Government Service

After the Sandinista victory in 1979, Téllez served as military commandant of León and political secretary of the FSLN's municipal committee in Managua. She later became Minister of Health in the Government of National Reconstruction (1985-1990), leading the creation of a free healthcare system for which she received a UN award.

Opposition within the Sandinista Movement

In 1995, Téllez left the FSLN in protest against the lack of democratization of the Front and the growing authoritarianism of Daniel Ortega's leadership. She became one of the organizers of the Sandinista Renovation Movement (MRS), a new political force that aimed to reclaim the "authentic values of Sandinismo, democracy, and social justice."

Hunger Strike and Protest Movement

In 2008, Téllez went on a hunger strike to protest Ortega's "dictatorship" and his attempts to annul the MRS's legal status. She condemned Ortega for losing touch with the people and their daily struggles.

Academic Career and Historical Research

Since 1998, Téllez has directed a bibliographic research project for Nicaraguan universities. She has also been involved in the Memoria Centroamericana project of the Nicaraguan Institute of History and Central America and is a professor of history at the Central American University. As a historian, she has focused on the dispossession of indigenous lands in Matagalpa and Jinotega during Nicaragua's colonization from 1820 to 1890.

Denied Entry to the United States

In 2004, Téllez was invited to Harvard Divinity School but was denied an entry visa by the US State Department, which still considers her a terrorist for her role in the 1978 National Palace attack. In response, over 100 scholars from Harvard and other American universities signed a statement supporting Téllez and condemning the "criminal and inhumane" regime her action had sought to overthrow.

Author and Legacy

Téllez has authored several publications on Central American politics and history, including "Central America, the Fragility of Democracies" (2006). She remains an influential voice in Nicaragua and internationally, known for her unwavering commitment to democracy and social justice.