After five years of repression, "nothing remains of Nicaraguan democracy"

A photo of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo in Managua on March 27, 2020 (illustration image). REUTERS - Oswaldo Rivas

Text by: RFI Follow

2 min

Since 2018 and the violent crackdown on anti-government protests, which have left more than 350 dead, hundreds imprisoned and 100,000 others go into exile, human rights groups, the UN and Western governments have accused President Daniel Ortega's government of trying to stamp out all opposition.

Advertising

Read more

On April 18, 2018, Nicaraguan students launched a vast protest movement against a plan to reduce the amount of pensions and against the government. Demonstrations harshly repressed by the regime of former guerillero Daniel Ortega. At least 355 people died, according to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. All opponents are in prison, including an important bishop; or in exile, like more than 200 of them, expelled from the country in February this year and stripped of their nationality.

Five years later, what remains of Nicaraguan democracy and the opposition? "Nothing since, on the one hand, power has been literally locked by the Ortega couple – his wife Rosario Murillo and Daniel Ortega himself – all powers are now at the boot of the presidential couple, analyzes Kevin Parthenay, professor of political science at the University of Tours and specialist in Central America, at the microphone of Justine Fontaine. And then, there is literally nothing left of the opposition insofar as any opponent is either arrested and put in prison, or as we have seen, is released, is no longer in prison, but is forced into exile, has his nationality withdrawn. What we see today, once again in the country, are other locks that are being broken, especially vis-à-vis the Catholic Church in the country, which had an extremely strong weight.

« For the regime, everything represents a risk today »

Even Easter religious processions have been banned." For the regime, this represents a risk, comments Kevin Parthenay. In reality, for the regime, everything represents a risk today. And processions are considered potentially dangerous insofar as it is an occupation of public space that can drift into criticism of the regime or end up having a political expression.

In early April, the UN Human Rights Council said it was "gravely concerned by the deterioration of democracy, the rule of law, the separation of powers and the human rights situation in Nicaragua". And voted to extend and strengthen a fact-finding mission on Nicaragua. Exceptionally, the Council decided to renew the mandate of the fact-finding mission for two years instead of the usual twelve months, and to strengthen its roadmap, in particular to examine the government's decision to deprive hundreds of opponents of their nationality. A decision welcomed by human rights organizations.

(

And with AFP)

Newsletter Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox

I subscribe

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

Read on on the same topics:

• Nicaragua
• Daniel Ortega
• Human rights

On the same subject

Maintenance

Jan Simon (UN): "We have documented systematic and serious human rights violations in Nicaragua"

Nicaragua: Bishop Rolando Alvarez sentenced to 26 years in prison for refusing forced exile

Nicaragua: repression of critical voices intensifies