daniel ortega

World News

I returned to Nicaragua, where I was born, and found a country steeped in fear

11:01am September 14, 2023

by Eyder Peralta

NPR's Eyder Peralta recently visited Nicaragua for the first time in a decade, gaining rare access to a nation that is hostile to journalists and known as the Western Hemisphere's newest dictatorship.

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A couple in a motorcycle ride in front of a billboard with a picture of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega at Ministry of Family Economy in Managua, Nicaragua.

World News

A rare look into Nicaragua, a country that shuts itself off to journalists

10:58am September 10, 2023

We take a look inside Nicaragua — a country where repression is the norm, making it one of the hardest countries to report from.

Content advisory: The piece includes the sounds of fireworks.

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Nicaraguan Catholic Bishop Rolando Alvarez speaks to the press at the Santo Cristo de Esquipulas church in Managua, on May 20, 2022.

Opinion: A bishop of immense courage

8:49am February 18, 2023

by Scott Simon

As thousands continue to flee Nicaragua, NPR's Scott Simon reflects on Bishop Rolando Alvarez, who is imprisoned there for protesting President Daniel Ortega's government.

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Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, lead a rally in the capital Managua in 2018.

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Nicaragua may be holding presidential elections, but it is edging toward dictatorship

3:01pm November 07, 2021

by Carrie Kahn

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega is running for a fourth consecutive term to remain leader of the Central American country in elections that critics and U.S. officials have labeled a "sham."

A man walks by a mobile health clinic displaying a picture of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega (right) and his wife and vice president, Rosario Murillo, in Managua on April 14, 2020. The government claims to be successfully combating the pandemic but he

Citizens Work To Expose COVID's Real Toll In Nicaragua As Leaders Claim Success

5:53pm May 12, 2021

by Carrie Kahn

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega's government insists the country has low numbers of cases and deaths from the pandemic. A grassroots group is working to reveal the true impact is far worse.

Relatives and friends attend the burial of teenager Matt Romero in Managua, Nicaragua, last September. He was shot dead during clashes between anti-government protesters and riot police and paramilitaries.

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Stay Or Go? Ortega's Crackdown Pushes Nicaraguans To Make Hard Choices

7:34am February 09, 2019

by Carrie Kahn

The Central American country has been in turmoil since last April, when President Daniel Ortega launched a brutal crackdown on protesters and other opponents.

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Journalists And NGOs Face Shutdowns, Beatings As Nicaragua Stifles Dissent

8:04am December 16, 2018

by Carrie Kahn

The government of Nicaragua's embattled President Daniel Ortega recently ransacked the offices of human rights organizations and an independent media outlet last week.

Anti-government demonstrators protest in Granada, Nicaragua. Hundreds of people have been killed in the government's brutal suppression of protests that erupted in April.

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Nicaragua Expels United Nations Team After Report Critical Of The Government

4:33pm September 01, 2018

by Shannon Van Sant

The human rights team had recently released a report documenting the extrajudicial killing, torture and sexual assault of protesters by the government of President Daniel Ortega.

A student who had taken refuge at the Church of the Divine Mercy amid a barrage of armed attacks is embraced by a relative on Saturday after he was transported to the Managua Metropolitan Cathedral.

World News

'They Wanted To Kill Us All': Nicaragua Reels After Bloody Church Siege

3:43pm July 16, 2018

by Merrit Kennedy

Human rights groups say nearly 300 people have died since demonstrations over a now-rescinded pension change in April. Protests turned deadly Friday as student protesters took refuge in a church.

Students with homemade mortars stand guard behind makeshift shields and barricades Tuesday at the National University in Managua, which has been occupied by protesters for more than a month.

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After Nationwide Strike, Nicaragua Looks No Closer To Bloodshed's End

11:14pm June 15, 2018

by Colin Dwyer

For two months, President Daniel Ortega and his supporters have been in a standoff with protesters seeking new elections. Scores have died, students have occupied schools, and peace remains elusive.