Nicaragua's parliament, which is controlled by allies of President Daniel Ortega, shut down 20 NGOs on April 25, several of which work on human rights and social issues. The opposition believes that this is another attack on civil society.
Most of the organizations that have now been shut down are working on human rights and social work - and many of them have publicly criticized the Nicaraguan government. The decision to stop organizationsna is based, according to the government, on the fact that they have violated Nicaraguan laws and failed to account for financial accounts.
One organization that has now been stopped from continuing its work in the country is the "Comisión Permanente de Derechos Humanos" (CPDH).
- It has been 45 years of constant struggle, where we identified with the most vulnerable, the most ill-treated, said Mario Carmona who works for the organization which since 1991 has documented abuses and worked for human rights.
Then the mass protests against Ortega's government in 2018 triggered a political crisis, more than 165 civil society organizations have been banned by the government. In recent months, the Nicaraguan Congress has also taken steps to limit the independence of universities. In response, both the EU and the US have imposed sanctions on Nicaragua.