Nicaragua Archives - Page 374 of 447

Farm Leader Benigna Mendiola Sows Doubt about Those Accused of Shooting Her Son

Benigna Mendiola looked over at the accused. She then gazed at Judge Edgar Altamirano, head of the Ninth District Criminal Court in Managua and exclaimed: “I didn’t come to accuse any of those who are here. I want my son’s murderer to pay for his crime.” This phrase from the mother of Lenin Mendiola, killed by a bullet last August 11 in Matagalpa, left those present in confusion.

Canadian Airline Cancels Flights to Nicaragua over Violence

As government repression and paramilitary violence continues unabated in Nicaragua, Canadian tour operator Transat decided to cancel all flights to this Central American country for this winter high season- The decision was made “due to ongoing civil unrest and a weak demand,” said Debbie Cabana, a spokeswoman for Transat,

Ortega Told to Protect the Lives of His Prisoners

The president of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) of the OAS, Margarette May Macaulay, urged the State of Nicaragua on Thursday to “protect the life and integrity” of some 558 people arrested in recent months by his government.

The Cry of Relatives Outside the Prison

Dozens of university students have been captured for their leadership in the protests, but their voices resound in the streets thanks to their relatives.“I want people to see what these kids are really like, what dreamers they are and that all they want is a free Nicaragua,” said Jennifer Estrada.

Without a Political Accord, Economic Decline in Nicaragua Could Be 20%

A technical mission from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is in Managua this week to meet with Daniel Ortega’s administration, along with business people, economists and labor leaders to evaluate the state of the country’s economy.

Ortega Intensifies Attack on the Catholic Church in Nicaragua

An intense controversy erupted in Nicaragua following renewed accusations by the government against Catholic bishop Silvio Baez, whom they accuse of leading a “terrorist conspiracy” to overthrow President Daniel Ortega. Former Sandinista guerrilla Eden Pastora, considered a leader of Ortega’s paramilitary forces, warned recently that the priests should be careful because “the bullets also go through the cassocks”.

Ortega’s “Justice” System: Legalities Are Out the Window

Illegal detentions, witnesses that contradict each other, prisoners presented to the court after the legal deadline, and officials that have no evidence to present; these are just some of the irregularities that have been accepted by the judges in charge of processing 300 political prisoners, arrested for participating in civic protests against the regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo.

Ortega Government Editor Speaks Out in Exile

Since the civic protests against the Nicaraguan government of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo began in April, official media outlets have disqualified the demonstrations as an “attempted coup d’état by the right.” “Anyone who opposes the Sandinista Front or Daniel Ortega, is (categorized) as a rightist,” assures Mikel Espinosa, the former editor of the leading government website 19 Digital. He is now exiled in Costa Rica.

Business Leader Says, “Ortega Must Avoid a Total Collapse”

“The President should reconsider and sit down to think how not to take the country on the path to an economic debacle. An open political dialogue should be instituted, in which all the bases to provide stability to the country could be presented,” said Sergio Maltez.

Ortega Imposes Virtual State of Seige on Ometepe Island

After first seeing its previously blossoming tourism industry collapse for the foreseeable future starting six months ago, now Ometepe Island’s other main traditional economic activity, the harvest and export of plantains, is at risk because the Central American truck buyers will think twice of traveling to the island where the paramilitaries have created a state of lawlessness.