The bans come just days after Nicaragua passed a regulation requiring non-governmental organizations to work exclusively in “partnership alliances” with government entities.
Most of the banned organizations are religious groups, according to AFP.
President Daniel Ortega has cracked down on the Catholic Church in recent years because he believed it supported protests against his government in 2018, which he considered an attempted coup. More than 300 people were killed in the unrest, according to figures from the UN.
A group of UN experts determined in July that there are “systematic and extensive violations of international human rights” in the Central American country.
The Nicaraguan Red Cross, several Catholic charities and the independent human rights commission CPDH are among the non-governmental organizations that have all had their doors closed over allegations dismissed as false.
Ortega’s wife and vice president, Rosario Murillo, has previously described religious people as “children of the devil” and “agents of evil who carry out spiritual terrorism.”
In late 2023, around 30 Catholic priests were imprisoned in Nicaragua due to the government’s displeasure with the Catholic Church, and these priests were later sent out of the country to the Vatican.
In addition, the government expelled more than 300 politicians, journalists, academics and activists last year, all accused of treason.
An organization that works for freedom of expression in the country says that at least 263 journalists have been forced to leave Nicaragua since 2018.
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2024-08-21 20:53:50
