Ortega’s war on Nicaraguan civil society continues

The National Assembly, totally dominated by the Sandinista Front bloc, canceled on May 4th the legal status of 50 civil society organizations. It was the largest number of NGOs outlawed in a single session since the Ortega regime began its attack against these forms of association. In this way, Daniel Ortega has eliminated 144 NGOs so far in 2022.

With 75 votes in favor and 16 abstentions, the deputies approved the decrees presented by the Ortega legislator, Filiberto Rodríguez López, who during his speech highlighted the number of organizations canceled with a single stroke of the pen. He pointed out that they did not want to comply with the legislation and assured that the Assembly will ensure that the laws do not continue to be violated.

“We promise to continue to enforce the laws, those who are violating the laws, and those who believe that they are going to continue with subterfuge, with lies, trying to deceive the authorities that administer the laws of Nicaragua, this is over. We are going to continue strengthening our legislation and compliance with them,” he threatened.

With the latest organizations annulled the Ortega regime has closed 218 associations, universities, foundations, and other non-profits since the end of 2018.

Among the canceled NGOs there are dozens that developed education projects, medical programs, women’s movements, environmental organizations, and others in defense of human rights, social development, democracy, culture, indigenous people and programs for children and adolescents.

Given the outlawing of the organizations, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OACNUDH), stated on its Twitter account that “without civic space there is no democracy.”

25 NGOs in each decree

On Tuesday, the first list of 25 was made public. These included the Nicaraguan Foundation for Sustainable Development —led by the outstanding scientist Jaime Incer Barquero—; the Association of Dental Surgeons of León; Forum Association for Education and Human Development of the Initiative for Nicaragua (FEDH-IPN); among the others listed below.

Then on Wednesday the other decree was made known that included the other 25 NGOs, among them the La Corriente Feminist Regional Program Association, which worked in defense of women’s rights and questioned on several occasions the actions of the State in the face of the demand for stop sexist violence and femicides.

The sociologist and director of La Corriente, María Teresa Blandon, described the decision of the deputies as “an illegal act” because it violates the constitutional right to freedom of association. She highlighted the work carried out by the organizations in the face of the vacuum generated by the State, mainly with women and groups of sexual diversity.

“We live in a regime that wants to get rid of civil society organizations because it does not want to have a population that is aware of its rights and an active citizenry that participates, demands, proposes, and also denounces the violation of rights,” maintained Blandon.

She added that this attack against the organization she directs and 49 others, responds to a “policy of devastation, of silencing”, and that it seeks to “deactivate us, demobilize us, and impose a single form of participation, a single form of organization that is controlled by the regime. It is part of a typical policy of authoritarian governments”, she denounced.

Alleged legal violations

The Ministry of the Interior (Migob) accuses the organizations of failing to comply with three pieces of legislation: the Law on Non-Profit Legal Entities; the Law of the Legislative Power of the Republic of Nicaragua, and the Law against Money Laundering, Financing of Terrorism and Financing of the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction.

Ortega’s Ministry of the Interior further argues that the organizations have not reported their financial statements with detailed breakdowns or have not registered as foreign agents. However, on multiple occasions, those responsible for the closed NGOs noted that the Ministry placed obstacles for them to comply with the processes required by law, even refusing to receive the documentation despite the fact that they tried on several occasions.

The Non-Profits Closed Down on Tuesday (above) and Wednesday (below)

1- Asociación de Cirujanos Dentistas de León (ACDL).

2- Asociación Foro de Educación y Desarrollo Humano de la Iniciativa por Nicaragua (Foro de Educación y Desarrollo Humano).

3- Asociación por la Democracia, Enrique Bermúdez Varela.

4- Asociación de Comisiones por la Paz de los Derechos Humanos (ACPDH).

5- Asociación Civil Instituto Histórico Centroamericano (IHCA).

6- Asociación Movimiento Fuerza Democrática Nicaragüense (FDN), Resistencia Nicaragüense (RN) o Movimiento FDN-RN.

7- Asociación Nicaragüense de Criadores y Propietarios de Caballos Peruanos de Paso.

8- Fundación para el Desarrollo Comunitario Inclusivo (Fundecomi).

9- Fundación Nicaragüense para el Desarrollo Sostenible (Fundenic/SOS).

10- Fundación EO Nicaragua.

11- Fundación para el Desarrollo de la Ciudad de León (Fundapadele).

12- Asociación para el Desarrollo Pecuario de Achuapa (Asodepa).

13- Fundación Nakawe.

14- Fundación Inserción de Ex Recluso (Finex).

15- Asociación Ángelo Guiseppe Roncalli.

16- Asociación para el Desarrollo Integral Comunitario (ADIC).

17- Fundación Proyecto Solar para Mujeres Nicaragüenses (Fuprosomunic).

18- Asociación Civil de Clubes de Leones del Distrito D-5 de Nicaragua.

19- Asociación de Promotores Sin Fronteras (Aprosif).

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20- Asociación Ciencia y Desarrollo Nicaragua (Cidenic).

21- Fundación Eco Familia (Ecofam).

22- Fundación para el Desarrollo Integral de Quilalí (Fundiq).

23- Asociación Movimiento de Mujeres de Chinandega (MMCH).

24- Asociación Centro de Asistencia a la Mujer.

25- Asociación Centro de Desarrollo Integral Nicaragüense.

Here is the list of the organizations stripped of their legal status on May 4th:

1- Asociación Programa Regional Feminista la Corriente (La Corriente).

2- Fundación Grupo Fundemos.

3- Fundación Diez.

4- Asociación Juventud por la Democracia de Nicaragua (Judenic).

5- Asociación para el Desarrollo del Pacífico Sur de Nicaragua (Asociación Pacífico Sur).

6- Asociación Promotora de Beneficios Mutuos (Probemos).

7- Asociación Academia de Ciencias de Nicaragua (ACN).

8- Fundación Poetas Organizados en un Espacio Social, Intelectual y Artístico (Fundación Poesía).

9- Fundación Amigos en Acción en Nicaragua.

10- Asociación Centro de Formación Juvenil (Cefoj).

11- Fundación Nicaragüense de Apoyo a Programas Sociales (Funiaps).

12- Asociación Biodiversidad de Nicaragua (Bionic).

13- Asociación Casa de la Mujer Bocana de Paiwas.

14- Asociación Sin Fines de Lucro Tierra.

15- Asociación Movimiento de Jóvenes de Ometepe (Amojo).

16- Asociación para la Promoción de la Mujer de Waslala (Apromuwa).

17- Asociación Trabajadoras para la Educación, Salud e Integración Social (Tesis).

18- Asociación Nicaragüense de Cirugía General (ANCG).

19- Fundación para la Promoción y el Desarrollo Sostenible en el Istmo de Rivas (Istmo).

20- Fundación Fondo Centroamericano de Mujeres (FCAM).

21- Asociación Campesina de Condena (Conociéndonos y Produciendo, ACCP).

22- Fundación Hermanamientos de Nueva Guinea Luz en la Selva.

23- Fundación Yarrince (Fundaya).

24- Fundación Apapachoa.

25- Asociación de Centros de Iniciativas de Políticas Ambientales (CIPA).

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