No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeTopicsLatin AmericaIn Costa Rica, Nicaraguan exiles demonstrate against Ortega's Re-Election

In Costa Rica, Nicaraguan exiles demonstrate against Ortega’s Re-Election

Dozens of Nicaraguan exiles demonstrated Sunday in Costa Rica against President Daniel Ortega who will start his fourth consecutive term in office in Nicaragua on Monday, accompanied by his wife and vice president, Rosario Murillo. 

“We are holding a vigil to let the world know that we do not agree with the Ortega-Murillo government, because his government is illegitimate,” said Ana María Hernández, one of the exiled Nicaraguans who was dressed in blue and white, typical of the flag of Nicaragua.

The group stood in the Plaza de la Democracia, in San José, and called for the release of more than 160 people who are imprisoned, with cheers of “freedom, freedom”, after reciting the name of each the detainees. 

“It was an electoral farce and a circus what was done in Nicaragua (in the November 7 election). Ortega is in that position (of starting a new term) because the police, the army and the paramilitaries hold him in power. But the people said enough is enough, many people are emigrating”, added Hernández.

Later at sunset, candles were lit, songs were sung and traditional dances were performed. 

More than 40 opponents, journalists and government critics have been arrested between June and December 2021, including 7 who were running in the Presidential elections.

Added to this group are another 120 people who are imprisoned for participating in the 2018 protests, whose repression left 355 dead and more than 100,000 exiled; most of them in Costa Rica, according to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR).

Among the crimes connected to them is that of “treason to the homeland” and, on multiple occasions Ortega labeled them as terrorists supported by Washington. 

The re -election of the 76 year old former Sandinista guerrilla, who has been president since 2007, takes place in the midst of a series of sanctions applied by the United States and the European Union (EU) to family members, close associates, officials and some entities such as the Police and the Attorney General’s Office, for corruption and human rights violations.

Trending Now

An Expat’s Take: 5 Burning Questions About Life in Costa Rica Right Now

Have you been keeping up with the various events taking place in Costa Rica? There is always something interesting going down, and here are...

2025 Gold Cup: Honduras Advances After Dramatic Shootout, Mexico Ends Goal Drought

Honduras, with a surprising and dramatic penalty shootout victory over Panama, and Mexico, with a lackluster win against Saudi Arabia, advanced Saturday to the...

Climate Change in Costa Rica Devastates Coffee Farms in Los Santos

In Costa Rica’s Los Santos region, famous for producing nearly half the country’s coffee, farmers are reeling from heavy losses driven by wild weather....

Costa Rica’s Piangua Mollusk Threatened by Pineapple Farm Runoff

Costa Rica’s Térraba-Sierpe National Wetland, a 33,000-hectare haven of mangroves and rivers, is under siege from an unlikely source: pineapple farms. A study by...

Celso Gamboa Allegedly Ran Drug Ring with Costa Rican Government Ties

Celso Gamboa, once Costa Rica’s Security Minister and a Supreme Court judge, now faces extradition to the U.S. for leading a major cocaine trafficking...

Guatemala Offers Asylum to Nicaraguan Migrants Deported by U.S.

Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo announced on Friday that his country will grant asylum to Nicaraguan migrants deported by the United States who do not...
spot_img
Costa Rica Tours
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica