That of Sheynnis Palacios has been an unprecedented case in the history of the Miss Universe beauty pageant: of all the women crowned as the most beautiful in the world for 71 years, she is the only one who did not return to her native country, Nicaragua, to celebrate your triumph. The young woman settled in New York and has traveled around the world, while she tries to avoid in interviews that she gives the reasons why she has not been able to return to her homeland. However, this May 12, the owner of the beauty franchise, Thai Anne Jakrajutatip, confirmed in a post on Instagram “the indefinite exile” of the model and her entire family due to the “cruel intentions” of Daniel Ortega’s regime. and Rosario Murillo.
Palacios was crowned Miss Universe on November 18, 2023 in El Salvador. Her coronation marked several milestones: she is the first Nicaraguan and Central American to win the pageant. The morning of her victory, Nicaragua erupted in joy, shouts and tears. Defying the police state that Ortega and Murillo have maintained in Nicaragua since 2018, thousands of Nicas took to the streets and dusted off the national flag that is criminalized by the Government for the celebrations. They once again sang the songs that sounded in the social protests of 2018 – in which Palacios participated –, the same ones that were dismantled with lethal violence by police and paramilitaries.
Although after the coronation the Government of Ortega and Murillo tried to approach Palacios through her family, even publishing a congratulatory statement, the presidential couple did not achieve a rapprochement with the new Miss Universe, much less obtain political benefits from the event. Given this, they began a fierce persecution against the director of the Miss Universe franchise in Nicaragua, Karen Celebertti. The regime banished the woman and accused her of the crimes of “conspiracy and treason,” which involve the stripping of her nationality and confiscation of her property. In addition, Celebertti’s husband and one of her children were arrested, and then last January they were also exiled.
This persecution raised a lot of intrigue about Palacios’ situation, especially because of his family who remained in Nicaragua. Weeks before the publication of Anne Jakrajutatip, it was unofficially known that the miss’s family managed to reach the United States with the Humanitarian Parole. The information was confirmed by the Thai woman in the Instagram publication that, hours after it was published, she edited.
The initial post on Instagram was written by Jakrajutatip on the occasion of Mother’s Day, which was celebrated in the United States on May 12. She stated in the initial post: “You are one of the greatest examples of the butterfly girl with broken wings who never gave in to the evil actions, disrespectful and cruel intentions of any authoritarian. […]. You are brave, strong and intelligent, but also very humble and you work hard to take care of your mother and the entire family who are now outside your homeland. Thank you for honoring my leadership, management and consulting direction to the point that you now call me ‘Mother Anne.’
The Thai woman, who is a mother thanks to surrogacy, also mentioned Celebertti in the publication: “You sacrificed a lot. You made the first Miss Universe in your country, but the price of fame has a global impact where local leadership sees the possibility of theory of falling from the sky, so he exiled all members of your family, including our queen, out of the country indefinitely due to the brand power of Miss Universe.” Hours later, after the media reaction, the post was edited.
The organization Nicaraguans in the World (NEEM), led by human rights defender Haydée Castillo, expressed solidarity with Palacios and regretted his forced exile. “I want to deeply regret this decision by the regime, because exile and forced displacement constitute a crime against humanity,” said Castillo, who believes that the beauty can request political asylum in the United States.
A miss that to the Sandinista regime
Palacios’ coronation put the Sandinista regime, especially its propaganda apparatus, in an uncomfortable position. Days before the pageant, Miss Nicaragua was the target of attacks on the pink programs on Channel 13, directed by the children of the presidential couple. The presenter Francelyz Sandoval called the young woman “Miss Buñuelos”, belittling the family business of the now Miss Universe. However, what most irritated the ruling party was a viral photo in which Palacios is seen with blue and white flags alongside the Nicaraguan singer-songwriter Carlos Mejía Godoy, participating in the civic marches that took place in the country during the 2018 rebellion. They began to call her “Miss Tranquera,” in reference to the barricades erected that year by protesters to protect themselves from the incursions of police and paramilitaries that left more than 350 people murdered.
From the perspective of critics of the regime, Palacios’ crown was perceived as a “historical” event that “symbolically” oxygenates a country plunged into despair since 2018, due to the political persecution and the economic crisis that has pushed almost a million people to other countries, especially the United States and Costa Rica.
After the persecution against the Miss Universe franchise in Nicaragua, the Ortega and Murillo regime has created a pageant in which the miss candidates thank “Commander Ortega and Comrade Rosario” when they appear on the catwalks.
Follow all the information from El PAÍS América in Facebook and xor in our weekly newsletter.
#Nicaraguan #Universe #Sheynnis #Palacios #family #indefinite #exile #Nicaragua