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Ortega condemned for raids on NGOs and media in Nicaragua
Source: The Guardian
Ortega condemned for raids on NGOs and media in Nicaragua
Human Rights Watch accuses president of ruling by ‘terror and intimidation’ after protests
Tom Phillips Latin America correspondent
Sun 16 Dec 2018 16.09 GMT
Activists and prominent members of Latin America’s left have condemned Nicaragua’s increasingly authoritarian regime under President Daniel Ortega after the former revolutionary hero stepped up his attack on political opponents by raiding some the country’s most important non-governmental organisations and media.
Since Thursday armed police have seized the headquarters of one of Nicaragua’s top independent media outlets, Confidencial, and its leading human rights group, CENIDH, in the latest phase of a crackdown designed to cement Ortega’s grip on power after months of protests.
Pro-Ortega lawmakers last week stripped nine NGOs of their legal status, with the government claiming the groups had “actively participated” in terrorist acts, hate crimes and a failed coup attempt against Ortega’s Sandinista regime.
José Miguel Vivanco, Human Rights Watch’s Americas director, said that by attacking such well-known organisations Nicaragua’s president was making clear his intention “to rule by terror and intimidation”.
-snip-
Human Rights Watch accuses president of ruling by ‘terror and intimidation’ after protests
Tom Phillips Latin America correspondent
Sun 16 Dec 2018 16.09 GMT
Activists and prominent members of Latin America’s left have condemned Nicaragua’s increasingly authoritarian regime under President Daniel Ortega after the former revolutionary hero stepped up his attack on political opponents by raiding some the country’s most important non-governmental organisations and media.
Since Thursday armed police have seized the headquarters of one of Nicaragua’s top independent media outlets, Confidencial, and its leading human rights group, CENIDH, in the latest phase of a crackdown designed to cement Ortega’s grip on power after months of protests.
Pro-Ortega lawmakers last week stripped nine NGOs of their legal status, with the government claiming the groups had “actively participated” in terrorist acts, hate crimes and a failed coup attempt against Ortega’s Sandinista regime.
José Miguel Vivanco, Human Rights Watch’s Americas director, said that by attacking such well-known organisations Nicaragua’s president was making clear his intention “to rule by terror and intimidation”.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/dec/16/ortega-condemned-for-raids-on-ngos-and-media-in-nicaragua