“April Flame of Freedom”, testimonies of students who rebelled against Ortega

The testimonies and stories of a group of Nicaraguan students who five years ago rebelled against the government presided over by Daniel Ortega are presented in the book “April Flame of Freedom,” authored by the young protagonists.

This testimonial book was written by 24 Nicaraguans exiled in Costa Rica, the United States and Ireland, after the anti-government demonstrations that erupted in April 2018, Alan Guerrero, one of the authors and deputy coordinator of the Alliance of Nicaraguan Youth and Students (AJEN), told EFE.

The book, which was presented at the Cultural Center of Spain in Costa Rica, assembles, in addition to the testimonies, contributions such as poems, stories, songs, designs and opinion articles, Guerrero said.

The book is available, free of charge, in print and digital versions. AJEN and the Student Youth Unit detail on their social networks where to request the text and the link for a free download.

He explained that a group of members of AJEN decided to work together with the Student Youth Alliance in order to document their testimonies, as a contribution to “youth memory in a historical process, such as the issue of justice and truth.”

“The content of this book gives great emphasis to the value of freedom, which was the most outstanding characteristic of April 2018,” he said.

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“Young people got tired of authoritarian practices and wanted to break out from the shackles of Daniel Ortega’s dictatorship. That was how the flame of freedom ignited, and continues to demand justice, democracy and freedom,” said Guerrero.

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega has said that five years ago they defeated an attempted “coup d’état,” which is how he classifies the demonstrations that erupted against his government in April 2018, when thousands of Nicaraguans took to the streets to protest controversial social security reforms. Ortega’s brutal response to the protest ultimately led to a demand for his resignation.

The protests left at least 355 dead, according to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR). However, Nicaraguan organizations say the figure is 684. Ortega admits that there were “more than 300” but maintains that it was an attempted coup d’état and that it was his Police and supporters who were the victims. Nonetheless, he preferred to not investigate any of the documented killings.

Nicaragua has been experiencing a political and social crisis since April 2018. It intensified after the bogus general elections of November 7, 2021, in which Ortega re-elected himself for a fifth term (fourth consecutive) and the second with his wife Rosario Murillo as vice president, with his leading contenders in prison.

This article was originally published in Spanish in Confidencial and translated by Havana Times