One dead in new round of protests in Nicaragua

Anti-government activists hold a demonstration in Managua, Nicaragua, on July 3, 2018, demanding justice for those killed in recent protests, and the immediate resignation of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and his wife and Vice President Rosario Murillo.

The protest in the capital took place on the same day that truckloads of police and pro-government gunmen rolled into a town in northern Nicaragua, clearing an opposition roadblock in clashes that left one person reported dead.

The new violence came as investigators from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights began a probe into months of violence which has killed more than 200 people.

A statement from the commission said it had a mandate of six months and has been tasked with “supporting the investigations of the violent acts that have taken place in the country since April 18, in the framework of the social protests.”

The government incursion took place in La Trinidad, 125 kilometers (78 miles) north of the capital Managua. State media said a riot police officer died. Several demonstrators were wounded, human rights activists said.