The recent decision of the Nicaraguan authorities to close More than 1,500 organizations non-governmental organizations in a single day, including religious groups, and confiscating their assets, is deeply worrying, the European Union said in a statement. release.
The bloc also called for the restoration of fundamental freedoms in the Central American country governed by Daniel Ortega, who has been in power for more than 17 consecutive years.
Last week, it was announced that 1,500 NGOs had been closed due to alleged non-compliance. This was the largest number of organisations closed since 2018, when a socio-political crisis began in the country following protests against social security reforms.
The European Union has said that “all political prisoners should be released and international human rights organisations should be allowed to return” to Nicaragua.
“We reiterate the need to end restrictions on civic space and respect the right to dissent. We call on the Nicaraguan authorities to engage in genuine and inclusive dialogue with all relevant stakeholders in Nicaragua to address their legitimate demands,” the European bloc said.
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The Ortega government responded by accusing the European Union of being “interventionist” and of speaking in the name of what it called “theatrical democracy.”
“The Nicaraguan government clarifies to the gentlemen of the European Union that Nicaragua is a sovereign country and homeland, and therefore, it is not a colony, nor does it receive or obey orders from any country in the world,” Managua responded, claiming that decisions “are made based on the Constitution of the Republic, and the laws.”
Human rights organizations and activists have warned of a concentration of power by Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, whom they accuse of establishing a “dictatorship” in the Central American country.
Since the start of the protests in Nicaragua, the Ortega government has annulled more than 70% of the non-profit organizations that existed in this Central American country.
Of the 7,227 NGOs that existed in 2017, 5,232 have been cancelled, including 164 due to “voluntary dissolution”, according to a record from the digital newspaper Confidencial.
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