The Nicaraguan ruling party approved a law to eliminate the autonomy of the Red Cross in the country, and its patrimony and assets will be administered by the government. The parliamentarians accused the organization of acting against its principles and failing to comply with its guidelines during the 2018 anti-government protests. Sandinista deputies and their allies accused the Red Cross of “transgressing the laws of the country” after 65 years of constant operations.
The demonstrations, which lasted for about four months, demanded the resignation of President Daniel Ortega but were dubbed a coup attempt by the government, for which heavy police repression was denounced. The social outbreak left at least 355 people dead, according to figures from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), while some national organizations report 684.
Sandinismo has removed the juridical personality of at least 20 NGOs, mostly religious, alleging irregularities in their registrations. This adds up to at least 3,400 closures of non-profit organizations since 2018 in Nicaragua. It is estimated that, with the cessation of operations by the organizations, around 3.4 million people have been left unprotected in various areas such as health, education, and the environment, among others.
Nicaragua is going through a difficult political and social situation that has become more notorious since the 2018 protests and the 2021 elections, in which Daniel Ortega was reelected for a fifth term. The elimination of the autonomy of the Red Cross is just one of numerous cases in which the Ortega government has restricted civil liberties, including freedom of the press and freedom of association.