🇳🇮Is political freedom in Nicaragua under threat? | The Stream

Al Jazeera English published this video item, entitled “🇳🇮Is political freedom in Nicaragua under threat? | The Stream” – below is their description.

The arrest by police of several politicians, student activists, and farming leaders in Nicaragua has human rights groups concerned that the government led by President Daniel Ortega is trying to stifle opposition in the run-up to a general election.

The most recent arrests of high-profile figures came on July 5, when police detained three farming leaders, accusing them of murder, kidnap and armed robbery during anti-government demonstrations in 2018. The Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) government says the protests were part of a coup attempt supported by foreign powers. One of those detained, Medardo Mairena, had been considering a bid to run for president in elections on November 7. Two student leaders were also arrested.

Mairena is the sixth person with presidential aspirations to have been detained of late by police. Since early June, candidates Cristiana Chamorro, Arturo Cruz, Félix Maradiaga, Miguel Mora Barberena and Juan Sebastián Chamorro have been arrested.

The UN’s human rights chief Michelle Bachelet and the European Union’s High Representative Josep Borrell have led international criticism of the arrests, while Human Rights Watch says Nicaragua’s government is leading an “intensifying campaign of violence and repression against the opposition and civil society”. Ortega has rejected the censure, saying that laws recently passed by the FSLN-dominated congress are being applied “by the book” against “enemies of the revolution”.

In this episode of The Stream, we’ll look at the impact of the recent arrests in Nicaragua and ask what they mean for the country in the run-up to the November elections.

Join the conversation:

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/AJStream

FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/AJStream

Subscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe

#aljazeeraenglish

#ajstream

#Nicaragua

Al Jazeera English YouTube Channel

Got a comment? Leave your thoughts in the comments section, below. Please note comments are moderated before publication.


About This Source - Al Jazeera English

The video item below is a piece of English language content from Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera is a Qatari state-funded broadcaster based in Doha, Qatar, owned by the Al Jazeera Media Network.

Recent from Al Jazeera English:

Can international justice stop israel? | inside story 1

Can international justice stop Israel? | Inside Story

A prolonged dry spell across the Indian-administered Kashmir

US march for life: Abortion rights likely issue in Nov election

In This Story: Coup

A coup d’état or just coup is the removal and seizure of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal, unconstitutional seizure of power by a political faction, the military, or a dictator.

5 Recent Items: Coup

Davos 2024: Sam Altman Says OpenAI Ouster Was Less Stressful Than AI Development

Refugee influx due to fighting in Myanmar causes tensions at the India-Myanmar border | DW News

Sierra Leone failed coup: Former president in court on treason charges

Myanmar: Rebel group says its captured strategic town from ruling military | BBC News

What is stopping Guatemala’s president-elect from taking office? | DW News

In This Story: Murder

Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. This state of mind may, depending upon the jurisdiction, distinguish murder from other forms of unlawful homicide, such as manslaughter.

2 Recent Items: Murder

20/20 ‘There Is A Monster In Me’ Preview: hundreds of pages give look inside mind of killer

Cindy Ali: Toronto woman acquitted of murdering teen daughter with cerebral palsy at retrial

In This Story: Nicaragua

Nicaragua, set between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, is a Central American nation known for its dramatic terrain of lakes, volcanoes and beaches. Vast Lake Managua and the iconic stratovolcano Momotombo sit north of the capital Managua. To its south is Granada, noted for its Spanish colonial architecture and an archipelago of navigable islets rich in tropical bird life. 

2 Recent Items: Nicaragua

Nicaraguan official praises China’s economic growth in 2023

Nicaraguan ambassador to China reads New Year poem ‘Sonatina’

In This Story: Police

The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and the use of force legitimized by the state via the monopoly on violence.

2 Recent Items: Police

Teacher threatened to behead and slit student’s throat. Hear from her parents

Dog helps Michigan police rescue owner from icy lake

Leave a Comment

We don't require your email address, or your name, for anyone to leave a comment. If you do add an email address, you may be notified if there are replies to your comment - we won't use it for any other purpose. Please make respectful comments, which add value, and avoid personal attacks on others. Links are not allowed in comments - 99% of spam comments, attempt to post links. Please describe where people may find additional information - for example "visit the UN website" or "search Google for..." rather than posting a link. Comments failing to adhere to these guidelines will not be published.