Arrests of opponents, persecution of churches and the press mark the dictatorship of Daniel Ortega, in Nicaragua. For the fourth consecutive term, with dubious elections, the dictator has tried to control the demonstrations for democracy in the country, especially in the last four years.
Since 2018, when the protests intensified, nearly a thousand NGOs have been closed. In addition, the Catholic Church has suffered more than 190 attacks in the country, according to a report by the Anti-Corruption and Transparency Observatory sent to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).
Among the regime’s actions against the church, there was the closing of Catholic television channels, the expulsion of missionaries and the persecution of priests and bishops. About 17% of the attacks involved robberies, destruction of religious environments, arson and trespassing on private property.
Persecution of the Catholic Church
In late June, two Catholic television channels, Merced and Canal San José, were taken off the air. Others had already been blocked in May. According to the report, since churches opened their doors to help students and family members demonstrating for Ortega’s resignation in 2018, persecution of the Catholic Church has increased in Nicaragua.
“Prior to April 2018, the Church was subject to sporadic abuse. After that date, hostilities increased both in number and in degree. The offensive language used by the presidential couple against the Catholic hierarchy has become clearer and more common, and the actions of some public institutions against the Church’s charities have also increased.
In Ortega’s latest announcement earlier this week alone, 101 charities were closed. Among them, the Association of Missionaries of Charity of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, where nuns dedicated themselves to serving the poorest and ran a home for the elderly, as well as a day care center for children of needy mothers and a shelter for abandoned and abused children. .
Persecution and censorship of the press
With the closure of the associations to which they were part, nuns were forced to leave Nicaragua on foot, on Tuesday of last week (06). Others were driven by a truck. Several media covered the event and some professionals were arrested.
The newspaper La Prensa is one of Ortega’s main targets and had two drivers arrested during this coverage. According to the communication vehicle, the employees were taken to the maximum security prison without a criminal charge having been presented. The police officers of the Ortega dictatorship tried, days later, to also arrest the reporter and the photographer in their homes, but they did not find them.
The Inter-American Press Association (SIP, its acronym in Spanish) said in a statement that the arrest of La Prensa employees is a “new wave of persecution” by the Nicaraguan government of the newspaper. “We hold the Ortega regime responsible for what can happen to each of the La Prensa workers, victims of abuse, intolerance and disrespect for their fundamental rights,” said Jorge Canahuati, president of the IAPA.
In August 2021, the newspaper’s building was raided and the director, Juan Lorenzo Holmann Chamorro, was arrested. In addition to him, two other members of the newspaper’s board of directors, Cristiana and Pedro Joaquín Chamorro Barrios, were also taken to prison. Cristiana was, at the time, a candidate for the November 2021 presidential elections.
Another presidential candidate, journalist Miguel Mora, director of the private channel 100% Notícias, was arrested last year and found guilty in February of this year “for violating national integrity”, according to his lawyer, Gerardo Gonzalez. The Ortega dictatorship, however, does not publish any information about opposition detainees.
Persecution of opposition politicians
In the last year, about 50 opponents of the dictator were arrested, seven of them potential candidates for the presidency. The Nicaraguan court finds these prisoners “guilty of violating national security” or “conspiracy” and usually sets sentences of around 15 years in prison.
The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borell, declared that the elections in Nicaragua were not legitimate, as Daniel Ortega “arrested all his opponents”. “The situation in Nicaragua is one of the most serious at the moment on the American continent,” said Borell, in Lima, Peru, during a trip to Latin America.
The Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) also stated that repression of the opposition does not allow for “an honest and free electoral process” in the country.
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