The Urnas Abiertas citizen observatory reported that at least 385 violent political events occurred in the first six months of this year in Nicaragua.
“Between June 1 and 30, 2002, 385 acts of political violence were recorded in Nicaragua, coming from all the departments and autonomous regions of the country,” said in a report Urnas Abiertas, a group of professionals dedicated to following up on the political events in the country.
According to the observatory, the largest number of violent acts in the first six months of 2022 occurred in April, the month in which the anniversary of the demonstrations against Ortega that began in April 2018 is commemorated.
#InformeUA | ?Between January 1 and June 30, 2022, 385 acts of political violence were recorded in #Nicaragua. Three of these events took place outside the national territory but under the repressive structure coordinated by the Ortega regime. https://t.co/8nKlqL4SIm
— Open Ballot Boxes (@Open Ballot Boxes) July 26, 2022
According to the report, 164 violent events were registered in April, an amount higher than the 69 registered in June, the 60 in May, or the 49 in February, the other more hectic months.
The victims
“In three out of ten recorded acts of political violence, the general public was observed as the main victim. That is to say, people who are not involved in political or social organizations, nor are they journalists, defenders, State workers or direct victims of serious human rights violations”, indicated Urnas Abiertas.
The observatory blamed the National Police, the Judiciary, the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the National Penitentiary System, mayors’ offices, the Directorate of Immigration and Immigration, and the Ministry of the Interior, among others, for the violent acts.
“The regime has opted for a generalized repressive strategy against citizens in general and other opposition actors,” Urnas Abiertas highlighted.
The report indicates that 80% of the 385 documented events were concentrated in the departments of Managua, Granada, Masaya, Matagalpa, Nueva Segovia, Madriz and Jinotega.
