Nicaragua: the government makes employers' organizations illegal

Relations between Cosep and President Ortega soured in 2018 during the political crisis triggered by demonstrations by opponents.

AP - Andres Nunes

Text by: RFI Follow

2 mins

According to a resolution published on Monday in the official journal, the government of President Daniel Ortega has declared illegal the employers' union Superior Council of Private Enterprise (Cosep) as well as 17 other employers' organizations.

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The decision of the Ministry of the Interior is consecutive to the " 

 " of the law and the lack of transparency of these employers' organizations, indicates the resolution published this Monday in the official journal.

They are accused of not having " 

 " on their accounting statements, without giving details of their income and expenses, or without supporting documents.

In addition to the Superior Council of Private Enterprise, the associations of exporters of coffee, agricultural products, the textile industry, as well as the chambers of real estate developers, construction, fishing, micro-businesses, are declared illegal. credit, trade and services, industry and tourism.

Almost all employers' organizations in Nicaragua are now deprived of legal personality.

On February 3, the authorities had already declared the Association of Private Banks illegal, along with 12 other organizations, including the Association of Merchants of the Central Market of Managua.

In all, more than 2,000 associations, NGOs or employers' organizations have been declared illegal since the adoption of restrictive laws imposing severe controls on them.

Cosep maintained good relations with the government for about ten years after Daniel Ortega came to power in 2007, but these deteriorated in 2018 during the political crisis triggered by demonstrations by opponents, that have been bloodily repressed.

The president of Cosep, Adan Aguerri, 62, was arrested in 2021, while more than 200 opponents were also imprisoned the same year, including leaders of employers' organizations affiliated with Cosep.

Sentenced to 13 years in prison in August 2022 for "treason", Adan Aguerri was released last month along with 222 other opponents who were expelled, deprived of their Nicaraguan nationality, and had their property confiscated.

(

AFP)

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