The National Assembly, dominated by the Sandinista Front bench, eliminated another 19 civil society organizations, which brings 193 illegal NGOs to date in 2022.
With 75 votes in favor, 15 abstentions and one present, the Sandinista steamroller approved the decree canceling the legal personality of these organizations, supposedly for breaking the law. Between this Wednesday and Thursday, the Ortega deputies canceled 44 NGOs, adding the two decrees presented by the legislator, Filiberto Rodríguez.
After dozens of decrees of cancellation of legal personality approved by the Sandinista Front in the Assembly, the liberal deputy, Roberto Lira, claimed that as long as they do not have in their hands the requirements that all non-profit organizations violate in accordance with the legal norm , the caucus of the Liberal Constitutionalist Party (PLC) “will not support and will not vote in favor of the cancellations.”
Immediately, the Ortega deputies, Edwin Castro and Filiberto Rodríguez reacted to Lira’s intervention. Castro told him that his argument is “a public falsehood”, that he was trying to “justify the unjustifiable” and that the files of the organizations were at his disposal.
“Let’s be more consistent out of respect for our people. We have every right to oppose, to abstain, that is part of the political game of this legislative body, but what I think we do not have as a moral duty is to lie to our people. Let’s assume our position with elegance, with nobility, and let’s maintain it,” said the Ortega supporter.
For his part, Rodríguez, who has been in charge of presenting almost all the initiatives of decrees to eliminate the NGOs, assured that the canceled organizations did not comply with the law, at the same time, he highlighted the work of the Ministry of the Interior (Migob) – considered another political weapon of the Ortega regime to violate the right of association-, which he said has done a “meticulous” “ethical” job, ignoring the obstacles in the processes that have been denounced by multiple civil society organizations that tried to legalize themselves.
Rodríguez also took advantage of his speech to highlight that the Sandinista Front is the majority in the plenary and that the vote of the supposed opposition, but in reality, they are collaborators, has little weight.
“If you vote against, nothing happens. We are still going to continue canceling legal entities, we are going to continue approving legal entities based on Law 1115- General Law of Regulation and Control of Non-Profit Organizations-”, he threatened.
Porras advocates for the disappearance of NGOs
The president of the National Assembly, the Ortega supporter Gustavo Porras, went beyond the cancellations and assured that if it were up to him, he would create a law so that all civil society organizations would disappear, since they are instruments of neoliberalism.
“Personally, I would make a one-time law for myself, they disappear, but I can’t; exist. As there can be someone who doesn’t like the unions and can say I hope they disappear, they can’t; exist. I am clear that non-profit organizations are instruments of neoliberalism and reached a peak in the neoliberal period, precisely, to act as an instrument against the unions and against the organization of the people”, he denounced.
The Migob alleges that the organizations violated Law 1115 or the General Law for the Regulation and Control of Non-Profit Organisms, -which came into force on May 6- and Law 977 or the Law against Money Laundering, Financing of Terrorism and the Financing of the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction and its regulations, according to a report presented by the head of the General Directorate of Registration and Control of Non-Profit Organizations, of Migob, Franya Urey Blandón.
It adds that the NGOs have failed to present financial statements according to fiscal periods with detailed breakdowns (income, expenses, trial balance, details of donations, origin, provenance and final beneficiary); They also point out that they have expired boards of directors and do not account for previous donations from abroad.
The regime has annulled 267 civil society organizations from 2018 to date, including associations, foundations, institutes, centers and organizations.
Dozens of these developed education projects, medical programs such as those carried out by Operation Smile, environmental protection, promotion and defense of human rights, social development, democracy, culture, indigenous people, children and adolescents.
