The 2018 Nicaraguan protests began on 18 April 2018 following a move by the government of Daniel Ortega to reform social security. Following the deaths of protesters, demonstrations intensified and grew into a large anti-Ortega movement seeking his removal from office.
There were major protests and confrontations in León, Managua, Granada, Boaco, Carazo, Estelí, Rivas, Matagalpa and Masaya. [9] [10] TELCOR ordered the suspension of transmissions of four independent TV channels that were reporting the news: channels 12, 23, 51, and 100% Noticias. [11] Also the Roman Catholic Episcopal Conference's TV channel. [9] The suspension lasted several hours, except for 100% Noticias, who was out of the air until 25 April. [12] Murillo accused the protesters of being manipulated and trying to "destabilize" and "destroy" Nicaragua. [13]
The Nicaraguan Catholic Bishops' Conference (CEN) gave the government of Daniel Ortega 72 hours to provide conditions to start a dialogue amid the protests calling for the resignation of the president. The ultimatum of the bishops came after three people died on Friday in a new day of protests in the country. The four conditions that the president of Nicaragua must fulfill according to the bishops were:
Irelanda Jerez, one of the leaders of the movement of self-appointed women who participate in the protests against the government of Daniel Ortega. The relatives of the dentist and merchant of the Oriental market, Ireland Jérez, have confirmed that their relative is in El Chipote prison, in Managua. Dollma Jérez said that at 6:45 in the morning they confirmed that her sister is in El Chipote and hopes that his physical integrity is respected. [160] [161] Moninbo neighborhood is occupation for gubernamental sandinistas forces.Samuel Geovanny Martinez Duarte, member of the April 19 University Movement in Granada, has been remanded in custody, after being taken to a preliminary hearing, under a strong police guard, to repsonder for the crime of threat.Martinez is accused for the crimes of threat to the detriment of Yaroslava Muñoz Maltez, departmental delegate of the MTI in Granada. [162] During a speech before thousands of Sandinistas in a plaza in Managua, the president denounced that many temples were occupied as barracks to store ammunition in the framework of the sociopolitical crisis that Nicaragua is going through since April 18.The Episcopal Conference (CEN), mediator and witness of the national dialogue, proposed to Ortega to advance the general elections for March 31, 2019, without him being able to stand for reelection, to overcome the crisis.Ortega revealed that when the bishops made that proposal, on June 7, he was surprised and when he received the document, which in addition to advancing the elections plans the restructuring of the State, he said: "They are committed to the coup." [163]
[172] [173] A new attack by the "combined forces" of the Government of Nicaragua left at least 3 dead in the northern part of the country, reported today the "self-convened" demonstrators from the city of Jinotega. The attack, which lasted for more than 8 hours between Monday night and early Tuesday morning, occurred in the Sandino neighborhood of Jinotega, 163 kilometers north of Managua, known as "the Monimbo del norte", due to the strong resistance to the government of Daniel Ortega. [174]
"It seems that the influence of ISIS has come through the (social) networks to Nicaragua," the president said. [182] [183] The head of the Nicaraguan Army, General Julio César Avilés, said that the country's sociopolitical crisis is also a time to reflect and contribute. Dialogue is the "most convincing" route for Nicaraguans to overcome the socio-political crisis their country is going through, said the head of the Nicaraguan Army, General Julio César Avilés. This at the same time to stop the protests started on April 18 and which have already left between 295 and 448 dead. [184] The socio-political crisis in Nicaragua has caused the closure of several universities in the Central American country. [185] Nicaragua loses 230 million dollars in tourism due to crisis. [186] In the Countryside of Nicaragua there is protest for the release of political prisoners and detainees.
The working group that will follow up on the situation in Nicaragua has not yet been formed, but the representatives of the United States, Costa Rica, Brazil and Chile expressed interest. [187] A group of Nicaraguan women, headed by the poet Gioconda Belli, requested by means of a letter to the Nicaraguan Army to "disarm" the paramilitary groups that "usurp" the functions of the country's armed forces, in the midst of the crisis that has left between 317 and 448 dead since April. [188] [189] He is secretly tried for the assassination of young Brazilian Raiella Grabrielle Lima A source from the Prosecutor's Office informed that Pierson Gutiérrez Solís had pleaded guilty in the preliminary hearing, and that afterwards the penalty debate was proceeded, in which the State requested the minimum for homicide: 10 years in prison; and six months for illegal carrying of weapons. [190]
The self-appointed demonstrators of Nicaragua left on Saturday in the streets of Managua, to publicly support the doctors who have been dismissed, who point out political motivations behind their dismissals, for attending protesters wounded in the protests against Daniel Ortega's government. Nicaraguan human rights organizations have denounced arbitrary dismissals of at least 135 doctors, specialists and subspecialists of the public hospitals of the country. [194] Alfredo Mairena, brother of Medardo Mairena, said on Saturday that the leader of the Peasant Movement had been tortured and that they had not allowed a doctor to examine him, to check his health. "I saw my brother nine days ago. They have tortured him to blows. We do not know the state of health, the doctor we are looking for to review it has not been authorized to check it. He told me that there are death threats for me and the whole family", said Alfredo Mairena. [195]
Sergio Ramírez Mercado is a Nicaraguan writer and intellectual who was a key figure in 1979 revolution, served in the leftist Government Junta of National Reconstruction and as vice president of the country 1985–1990 under the presidency of Daniel Ortega. He has been described as Nicaragua's "best-known living writer". Since the 1990s, he has been involved in the left-wing opposition to the Nicaraguan government, in particular in the Movimiento de Renovación Sandinista. He was exiled from the country in 2021 and stripped of his nationality by the government in 2023.
La Prensa is a Nicaraguan newspaper, with offices in the capital Managua. Its current daily circulation is placed at 42,000. Founded in 1926, in 1932 it was bought by Pedro Joaquín Chamorro Zelaya, who had become editor-in-chief. He promoted the Conservative Party of Nicaragua and became a voice of opposition to Juan Bautista Sacasa, for which the paper was censored. He continued to be critical of dictator Anastasio Somoza García, who came to power in a coup d'état.
General elections were held in Nicaragua on 5 November 2006. The country's voters went to the polls to elect a new President of the Republic and 90 members of the National Assembly. Daniel Ortega of the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FLSN) was elected president with 38% of the vote, defeating Eduardo Montealegre with 28%, José Rizo with 27%, Edmundo Jarquín with 6%, and Edén Pastora with 0.3%. The FLSN also emerged as the largest party in the National Assembly, winning 38 seats.
Tomás Borge Martínez, often spelled as Thomas Borge in American newspapers, was a cofounder of the Sandinista National Liberation Front in Nicaragua and was Interior Minister of Nicaragua during one of the administrations of Daniel Ortega. He was also a renowned statesman, writer, and politician. Tomás Borge also held the titles of "Vice-Secretary and President of the FSLN", member of the Nicaraguan Parliament and National Congress, and Ambassador to Peru. Considered a hardliner, he led the "prolonged people's war" tendency within the FSLN until his death.
Telenica is a nationwide state-run terrestrial television channel from Nicaragua, founded by Nicaraguan businessman Carlos Briceño in 1992. The channel was bought by Juan Carlos Ortega Murillo in late 2009, yet it was not made public until January 2010, the change in ownership led to a change in profile. TN8 is one of Nicaragua's main channels.
Joaquín Cuadra Lacayo a scion of Nicaragua's elite, joined the rebel Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) in late 1972. After their victory in 1979, he became army chief of staff.
Rosario María Murillo Zambrana is a Nicaraguan politician and poet who is the Vice President of Nicaragua, the country's second highest office, since January 2017 and First Lady of Nicaragua since 2007 and from 1985 to 1990 as the wife of President Daniel Ortega. Murillo has served as the Nicaraguan government's lead spokesperson, government minister, head of the Sandinista Association of Cultural Workers, and Communications Coordinator of the Council on Communication and Citizenry. She was sworn in as vice president of Nicaragua on 10 January 2017. In August 2021, she was personally sanctioned by the European Union, over alleged human rights violations.
Canal 6 is a Nicaraguan terrestrial television channel broadcasting from the city of Managua. The station claims to be owned by the Government of Nicaragua, but is actually owned by a joint stock company called NEPISA
Central American University – Managua was a private Catholic university located in Managua, Nicaragua. It was founded in July 1960 by the Society of Jesus on land donated by the Somoza family and was the first private university in Central America. It numbered among its alumni Daniel Ortega, who did not graduate, Daisy Zamora, Sheynnis Palacios, and Ernesto Leal. It was located on Avenida Universitaria in the capital city of Managua (Nicaragua).
Sofía Montenegro Alarcón is a Nicaraguan journalist, social researcher, and feminist. Montenegro's family were militarily aligned with the Somoza forces, but her feminist and Marxist studies moved her to join with the opposition to the regime. She fought in the Sandinista Revolution and though initially supportive of the Sandinista Party, later became an outspoken critic, saying it had moved to the right. She served as an editor of various divisions of the official Sandinista newspaper, Barricada, until 1994, when she founded the Center for Communication Research (CINCO) as an independent research organization free of government influence. She has written broadly on power, gender, and social interaction.
The protests against Daniel Ortega were a series of protests against President of Nicaragua Daniel Ortega and actions performed by his government, the dismantling of the opposition, and violence against peaceful protesters. The protests began in 2014, when the construction of the Nicaragua Canal was about to begin, and several hundred protesters blocked roads and clashed with police during the groundbreaking of the canal. Tens of thousands of Nicaraguans began to protest against President Ortega for what they believe to be a corrupt electoral system.
Silvio Enrique Conrado Gómez was the Nicaraguan director of the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (BCIE) serving from 2002 until his death. He was an economist. In 2007, he was a member of the Special Commission for the Promotion of Investments (Pro-Nicaragua). He was widely regarded as the key individual in the management of the financial resources and the macroeconomic stability of Nicaragua. Since 2002, he was also a director of the Central Bank of Nicaragua, and served a term as its president from 2006 to 2010.
The Constitution of Nicaragua protects the freedom of the press. However, limitations imposed by the government have restrained the ability of independent media organizations to express divergent views on society and politics. Since 2007, freedom of the press has declined sharply, coinciding with the election of Daniel Ortega as president. Since Ortega's reelection, journalists in Nicaragua have faced escalating violence from the government. As of 2018, Nicaragua is ranked 90th on the Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index.
The April 19 University Movement is a Nicaraguan student movement created on April 25, 2018 in Managua, Nicaragua. The student group opposes the government of Daniel Ortega who from 1979 to 1990 served as the country's first president following the Nicaraguan Revolution, was re-elected in 2006, and is the nation's current President. The April 19 University Movement organized and participated in the 2018–2020 Nicaraguan protests that began April 18th, 2018 in response to Social Security (INSS) reforms. The group has also served as spokesperson in national dialogue.
The 2018 Nicaraguan protests began on 18 April 2018 when demonstrators in several cities of Nicaragua began protests against the social security reforms decreed by President Daniel Ortega that increased taxes and decreased benefits. After five days of unrest in which nearly thirty people were killed, Ortega announced the cancellation of the reforms; however, the opposition has grown through the 2014–2018 Nicaraguan protests to denounce Ortega and demand his resignation, becoming one of the largest protests in his government's history and the deadliest civil conflict since the end of the Nicaraguan Revolution. On 29 September 2018, political demonstrations were declared illegal by President Ortega.
Reyna Rueda Alvarado is a Nicaraguan politician. A member of the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN), she has served as mayor of Managua since 2018.
Mauricio Herdocia Sacasa was a Nicaraguan jurist who specialized in international law, and diplomat. He held roles in the Nicaraguan government, especially in the Foreign Ministry, across party lines, as well as roles in major international legal bodies including at the United Nations and the Organization of American States. In the 1980s, he worked on a number of peace processes in Central America, helping formalize legal and political structures for the region. Also a legal scholar and professor, he was rector of the American College University and the author of four books on the laws governing the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Nicaragua. His contributions were recognized with a number of honors both nationally and internationally, including Nicaragua's Order of Rubén Darío.
This is a timeline of the 2020 Nicaraguan protests. It covers events from February to December 2020.
Arturo McFields Yescas is a Nicaraguan journalist and diplomat. After denouncing Daniel Ortega, he revealed that he was classified as a "traitor to the country" by the Sandinista government.
When the protests heated up, Ortega cracked down. The army was called in to help quell disturbances, and independent media were squeezed.
Convened by the Catholic Church, hundreds of thousands of Nicaraguans take to the streets of the country demanding peace and the end of the regime. The bishops warn Ortega that there can be no dialogue without guarantees
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