Nicaragua shuts down more than two dozen NGOs critical of Ortega

MANAGUA (Reuters) – Nicaragua’s parliament, controlled by allies of President Daniel Ortega, on Wednesday shut down 25 non-governmental organizations in a move slammed by the opposition as a further attack on civil society.

The organizations, many of which have publicly criticized the government, were closed by Congress with 74 votes in favor and 15 abstentions. Lawmakers argued the NGOs had violated Nicaraguan laws and failed to disclose financial accounts.

Most of the NGOs work on human rights issues and carry out social and cultural work.

Authorities of the Central American country have shut down 163 NGOs since mass protests against Ortega’s government in 2018 sparked a political crisis. Nicaragua’s Congress has also moved in recent months to curb the independence of universities.

Ortega, one of the leaders of the Sandinista rebellion that toppled former dictator Anastasio Somoza in 1979, was sworn into office for his fourth consecutive term as president in January, two months after winning an election dismissed by the United States and other Western nations as fraudulent.

The assets of these groups will pass into the hands of the state, according to the legislative decision, as has happened in previous cases.

“There is no will from the government to have organizations (…) documenting violations of human rights,” said Marcos Carmona, who heads the Permanent Commission on Human Rights, one of the organizations affected by the measure.

Coen Foundation, the social arm of a powerful business group in Central America, and the foundation of the writer and former vice-president of Nicaragua, Sergio Ramirez, currently in exile, were among the NGOs closed.

“Many of these NGOs, which also operate as microfinance companies and have lucrative activities, can perfectly continue to operate under the regulation of the Ministry of Commerce,” said pro-government lawmaker Wilfredo Navarro.

(Reporting by Ismael Lopez; Writing by Valentine Hilaire; Editing by Paul Simao)