The Nicaraguan National Assembly canceled this Thursday a hundred more non-governmental organizations, just one day after having outlawed another similar figure under the same reasons.
The cancellation was approved with 75 votes in favor, 0 against and 16 abstentions of the deputies of this power of the State.
Deputy Gustavo Porras, president of the National Assembly revealed that the number of organizations canceled so far this year has already reached 689 entities and accused them of “not being up to date with their obligations.”
“With these 100 foundations or associations that are going to be cancelled, we will be completing 689 entities that are cancelled. And I want to make it clear that this is a process of ordering something that was adrift,” said Porras, noting that it was clear that there was a “manipulation” as to the reason for the massive closure of the agencies.
In fact, dozens of organizations that have been outlawed have spoken out on their social networks denying the accusations of the ruling party, as happened with the Permanent Commission on Human Rights (CPDH) which was the last entity of this type that remained in Managua.
The massive closure of these organizations has affected a large part of civil society and will take decades to rebuild, according to experts who say that President Daniel Ortega is causing “a massive brain drain.”
Nicaragua has been experiencing a serious political crisis since April 2018 after the protests against President Daniel Ortega, who has accused opposition organizations of trying to stage a coup in collusion with other sectors.
As a result of this, the president —through the National Assembly that he controls—requested the approval of a trident of “paralyzing” laws as the United States has called them, in order to control their critics, such as the Cybercrime Law, which persecutes journalists; the Foreign Agents Law, which controls NGOs even more; and the Sovereignty Law or Law 1055, under which dozens of opponents are kept in jail.
Connect with the Voice of America! Subscribe to our channel Youtube and turn on notifications, or follow us on social media: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
