Ben Linder was an engineer from the United States who was killed by the U.S.-backed contras in 1987 while working on a hydroelectric plant in San José de Bocay in northern Nicaragua. I met him on the road by El Cuá in 1986 when I worked with Witness for Peace in the area. He was an inspiration to all of us.
Members of our election observer delegation paid a visit to Ben's grave in the cemetery in Matagalpa.
For an excellent account of Ben's life, see Joan Kruckewitt, The Death of Ben Linder, The Story of a North American in Sandinista Nicaragua, available from Seven Stories Press.
See Steve DeKoekkoek's bio and photo album on Ben.
"Benjamin Ernest Linder, Internationalist
Born July 7, 1959, California, U.S.A.
Fell Abril 28, 1987, San José del Bocay, Jinotega, Nicaragua
The light that he lit will shine forever."