Soy pico rojo: the new form of protest in Nicaragua

Social media has been filled with photos of men and women wearing red lipstick as a way of protest Daniel Ortega’s dictatorship.

The protests in Nicaragua have varied over nearly six months of sociopolitical crisis. Blue and white balloons, cobblestones with the names of political prisoners, stickers with messages demanding democracy. Nonetheless, since last Monday, social media is full of pictures of lips painted red.

This new way of protest started after it became public that Marlen Chow, one of the 38 people arrested on Sunday on the Camino de Oriente while marching for the freedom of the political prisoners, said in an interrogation with the Police of Ortega (PO) that she was a member of the Asociación de Mujeres Nicaragüenses Pico Rojo (Association of Nicaraguan Women with Red Mouths).

💄💋 #SoyPicoRojo

Mañana nueva forma de protesta Asociación de Mujeres Picos Rojos y pedimos libertad para todxs y cada uno de lxs presos políticos! #SOSNicaragua pic.twitter.com/BZoOnKKvfW

— 🆘🇳🇮 Ocupa Inss (@OcupaINSS) October 16, 2018

Tomorrow a new way to protest Asociación de Mujeres Picos Rojos and we ask for the liberation of every single one of the political prisoners!

Chow, a feminist defender of human rights, told other local media that she always wears the lipstick during marches and that she passed it to the other prisoners when they were interrogated. The all said they would be part of the association as well.

On social media, with the hashtag #SoyPicoRojo, dozens of women and men have posted photos of their lips painted in different shades of red, as a new form of protest against the dictatorship of Daniel Ortega.

Soy miembro de la Asociación #PicoRojo. Gracias a la gran mujer Marlen Chow.
¡Nada va a parar esta insurrección cívica!#ResistenciaFeminista#SOSNICARAGUA#SoyPicoRojo pic.twitter.com/haeCutWlV4

— Madelaine Caracas🌻 Flor De Una Noche (@_flordeunanoche) October 16, 2018

I am member of the association #PicoRojo. Thanks to the great woman Marlen Chow.
She will never stop this civil insurrection!

Women, as well as men, have declared themselves members of the association Pico Rrojo.

#SoyPicoRojo #SOSNicaragua 🇳🇮 pic.twitter.com/j6U9sDN8Un

— Juan Carlos López (@JuanCarlosNic) October 16, 2018

The association is extending and already counts hundreds of members.

Por Marlen Chow, activista feminista que mientras estuvo presa ilegalmente, pintó sus labios de rojo y el de sus compañeras. En el interrogatorio para saber a qué organización pertenecía ha dicho “A la asociación de mujeres Pico Rojo”. #SoyPicoRojo #SoyMalcriada pic.twitter.com/gAgnFPBrsh

— Las Malcriadas (@LasMalcriadasNi) October 16, 2018

For Marlen Chow, the feminist activist who – while being illegally imprisoned – painted her lips and the ones of her companions red. In the interrogation to find out which organization she belonged to, she said “to the association of the women Pico Rojo.”

This form of protest also demands the liberation of political prisoners in Nicaragua.

#yosoypicorojo #PicoRojo
En rebeldía por la libertad de las Y los presos políticos. #SOSNICARAGUA pic.twitter.com/YhqcH1RQnc

— Grecia Ramirez (@GreciaRamirez7) October 16, 2018

In rebellion for liberty of the female AND male political prisoners.

Read the original story in Spanish at La Prensa, first published on Oct. 16 2018.

This story was translated into English and republished in The Tico Times as part of a partnership with La Prensa to help bring their coverage of the Nicaraguan crisis to an English-speaking audience.