ROSARIO MURILLO

Nicaraguan police have raided the residence of a Roman Catholic bishop, detaining him and several other people holed up inside for two weeks.

Nicaragua’s government recently shuttered seven radio stations belonging to the Catholic Church.

With virtually no independent journalists left inside and foreign reporters banned from entering, Nicaragua has become 'an information black hole.'

Nicaragua President Daniel Ortega’s government has closed seven radio stations this week owned by the Roman Catholic church, as well as two other outlets serving the largely rural northern area with a history of opposition.

The U.S. has imposed sanctions on Nicaragua’s state-owned gold mining company and the president of its board of directors partly over the Central American nation’s ties to Russia.

Nicaragua Crackdown FILE - In this Sept. 5, 2018 file photo, Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega and his wife and Vice President Rosario Murillo, lead a rally in Managua, Nicaragua. (AP Photo/Alfredo Zuniga, File) (Alfredo Zuniga)MEXICO CITY — (AP) — The government of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega has authorized Russian troops, planes and ships to deploy to Nicaragua for purposes of training, law enforcement or emergency response. She noted the law also authorizes troops from the United States, Mexico and other Central American countries for such purposes. Ortega served as president from 1985 to 1990, before being re-elected to power in 2007. ___This story, which originally moved on June 9, corrects the spelling of Nicaragua in the headline.

The government of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega has authorized Russian troops, planes and ships to deploy to Nicaragua for purposes of training, law enforcement or emergency response.

Nicaragua’s Sandinista-controlled congress has cancelled nearly 200 nongovernmental organizations this week, ranging from a local equestrian group to the 94-year-old Nicaraguan Academy of Letters, in what critics say is President Daniel Ortega’s attempt to eliminate the country’s civil society.

MEXICO CITY — (AP) — The Pacific coast of Nicaragua was rattled by a 6.7-magnitude earthquake early Wednesday. But the country’s national disaster prevention agency did not immediately report any damages or deaths. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake occurred about 36 miles (58 kilometers) west south-west of the coastal town of Masachapa, which itself is located southwest of the capital, Managua. The quake hit Wednesday at around 1:42 a.m. local time (7:42 am UTC). Vice President Rosario Murillo said the quake was felt along the coast, and officials were monitoring for any reports of damage.

Nicaragua Universities FILE - Desks barricade a door inside the Polytechnic University of Nicaragua, UPOLI, where a makeshift hospital was set up amid anti-government protests by students in Managua, Nicaragua, April 22, 2018. A generation of students who participated in the April 2018 protests saw their education interrupted. Of the 12 universities seized, seven are based in Nicaragua and five were the virtual campuses of foreign universities. The universities’ property was transferred to the state and three new large universities with a combined enrollment of 18,000 were created using that infrastructure. For weeks in 2018, students occupied Nicaragua Polytechnic University in Managua, fearful they would be killed if they left.

Four years after university students led protests against Nicaragua President Daniel Ortega’s government, his administration is minimizing the chance of a reoccurrence by seizing a dozen private universities and closing them or shifting control to the state

Four years after university students led protests against Nicaragua President Daniel Ortega’s government, his administration is minimizing the chance of a reoccurrence by seizing a dozen private universities and closing them or shifting control to the state.

Ortega and his wife Rosario Murillo have managed to cling on to power thanks to repression and support among the poor.

A day after questioned elections, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega’s government has set about painting as a historic democratic victory what many of the world’s democracies condemned as a sham.

Nicaragua Election FILE - Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega and his wife and Vice President Rosario Murillo, lead a rally in Managua, Sept. 5, 2018 . Ortega first served as president from 1985 to 1990, before returning to power in 2007. With little doubt as to the presidential election result, focus is already turning to what the international response will be as Ortega seeks to tighten his grip on power. The United States and European Union have imposed sanctions against those in Ortega’s inner circle, but Ortega responded only by arresting more of his opponents. The Organization of American States has condemned Nicaragua’s holding of political prisoners and unwillingness to hold free and fair elections, but Ortega’s government has only railed against foreign interference.

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega is seeking a fourth consecutive term as voting begins in elections against a field of little-known candidates while those who could have given him a real challenge sit in jail.

Back in May, the chances of Nicaragua President Daniel Ortega’s reelection to a fourth consecutive term were looking good.

"The biggest fear is that I'm not gonna get a chance to see him again," "Riverdale" creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa told CBS News.

Other countries have lured doctors out of retirement, pushed medical students to the front lines and buoyed medical personnel exhausted by COVID-19 cases, but in Nicaragua doctors have been harassed, threatened and sometimes forced into exile for questioning official handling of the pandemic. Vice President Rosario Murillo, who is also the first lady, has accused doctors of “health terrorism” and of spreading “false outlooks and news” by reporting that COVID-19 has been far more widespread than officials acknowledge. As international health organizations warn of increasing infections in Nicaragua and independent Nicaraguan doctors call for a voluntary quarantine to slow the spread of the delta variant of the coronavirus, the government has made clear that comments out of step with its line are unacceptable as President Daniel Ortega seeks a fourth consecutive term.

BRUSSELS — (AP) — The European Union on Monday slapped sanctions on Nicaraguan first lady and Vice-President Rosario Murillo and seven other senior officials accused of serious human rights violations or undermining democracy, amid a crackdown on opposition politicians in the Central American country. EU headquarters said in a statement that the sanctions, which include asset freezes and bans on travel in Europe, "are targeted at individuals and are designed in this way not to harm the Nicaraguan population or the Nicaraguan economy." Ortega, 75, alleges the country’s April 2018 street protests were part of an organized coup attempt with foreign backing. Most of those arrested in the crackdown are being held incommunicado, at undisclosed locations and with no access to lawyers. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

The European Union is slapping sanctions on Nicaraguan first lady and Vice-President Rosario Murillo and seven other senior officials accused of serious human rights violations or undermining democracy.

The Nicaraguan government has organized rallies and festivities to mark the anniversary of the July 19, 1979, revolution that overthrew dictator Anastasio Somoza.

Nicaragua Crackdown FILE - In this June 17, 2021 file photo, a billboard promoting President Daniel Ortega and his wife and Vice President Rosario Murillo covers a truck driving through Managua, Nicaragua. The U.S. State Department announced Monday, July 12, 2021 it is revoking the travel visas of 100 legislators, judges and prosecutors who aided the regime of President Daniel Ortega. (AP Photo/Miguel Andres, File) (Miguel Andres)MANAGUA, Nicaragua — (AP) — The U.S. State Department announced Monday it is revoking the travel visas of 100 legislators, judges and prosecutors who aided the regime of President Daniel Ortega. The government has accused most of those arrested with accepting foreign funding and working for the overthrow of the government. Legislators, judge and prosecutors have aided Ortega by applying spurious “treason” and censorship laws to justify the arrest of opponents.

The U.S. State Department has announced that it is pulling the travel visas of 100 legislators, judges and prosecutors who aided the regime of President Daniel Ortega.

(AP Photo/Alfredo Zuniga, File) (Alfredo Zuniga)MANAGUA, Nicaragua — (AP) — International criticism of Nicaragua's government grew on Tuesday after another night of arrests in Managua. Fifty-nine countries at the United Nations Human Rights Council signed onto a statement expressing concern over arbitrary arrests and the restriction of fundamental rights. “The government must ensure the protection of human rights and bring to account those responsible,” the statement said. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights found that 328 people were killed and some 2,000 wounded. In developing the report, Human Rights Watch interviewed 53 people in Nicaragua, including 46 activists, lawyers, journalists, human rights defenders and opposition figures who were victims of harassment of arbitrary detention.

(AP Photo/Alfredo Zuniga, File) (Alfredo Zuniga)MANAGUA, Nicaragua — (AP) — An international human rights organization is calling for increased pressure on Nicaragua President Daniel Ortega as arrests of political opposition figures continue ahead of Nov. 7 elections. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights found that 328 people were killed and some 2,000 wounded. Among them, Human Rights Watch has documented three cases of women who suffered assault and sexual aggression during their imprisonment. In developing the report, Human Rights Watch interviewed 53 people in Nicaragua, including 46 activists, lawyers, journalists, human rights defenders and opposition figures who were victims of harassment of arbitrary detention. “Top UN officials and UN member countries that care about human rights have an opportunity to prevent a regional crisis by pressuring Ortega to end his repression now.

International criticism of the Nicaraguan government has grown following another night of arrests in Managua.

Political repression in Nicaragua has reached a level of escalation that has not been seen in any Latin American country — except Cuba — in many decades. It’s so massive that many are wondering whether Nicaragua’s autocrat, Daniel Ortega, is trying to set the stage for a long-term dynastic dictatorship.

Nicaragua Opposition FILE - In this March 21, 2019 file photo, Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega speaks next to first lady and Vice President Rosario Murillo during the inauguration ceremony of a highway overpass in Managua, Nicaragua. (AP Photo/Alfredo Zuniga, File) (Alfredo Zuniga)MANAGUA, Nicaragua — (AP) — The government of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega arrested five opposition leaders Sunday during the biggest one-day round up so far, in what appears to be widespread detentions of anyone who might challenge his rule. The moves over the weekend suggest Ortega has moved beyond arresting potential opposition candidates in the Nov. 7 elections, and has begun arresting any prominent member of the opposition. Ortega has already arrested four potential opposition candidates who might have challenged his bid for a fourth consecutive term, and now many Nicaragua opposition leaders fear it is only a matter of time until police come for them, too. Torres said Ortega has now instituted a more suffocating dictatorship than Somoza, who faced opposition from the within the church, intellectual circles and universities.

Nicaragua Opposition FILE - In this March 21, 2019 file photo, Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega speaks next to first lady and Vice President Rosario Murillo during the inauguration ceremony of a highway overpass in Managua, Nicaragua. (AP Photo/Alfredo Zuniga, File) (Alfredo Zuniga)MANAGUA, Nicaragua — (AP) — The government of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega arrested three opposition leaders Sunday, in what appears to be widespread detentions of anyone who might challenge his rule. The moves over the weekend suggest Ortega has moved beyond arresting potential opposition candidates in the Nov. 7 elections, and has begun arresting any prominent member of the opposition. Ortega has already arrested four potential opposition candidates who might have challenged his bid for a fourth consecutive term, and now many Nicaragua opposition leaders fear it is only a matter of time until police come for them, too. “I am here, waiting for them to come for me.”Nicaragua’s National Police have arrested four opposition pre-candidates this month.

Nicaragua Opposition FILE - In this March 21, 2019 file photo, Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega speaks next to first lady and Vice President Rosario Murillo during the inauguration ceremony of a highway overpass in Managua, Nicaragua. (AP Photo/Alfredo Zuniga, File) (Alfredo Zuniga)MANAGUA, Nicaragua — (AP) — The government of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega has arrested an opposition leader and police surrounded the home of another on Sunday. The moves over the weekend suggest Ortega has moved beyond arresting potential opposition candidates in the Nov. 7 elections, and has begun arresting any prominent member of the opposition. “It's not just potential candidates any more, it's political leaders,” said former general and Sandinista dissident Hugo Torres. Ortega has already arrested four potential opposition candidates who might have challenged his bid for a fourth consecutive term, and now many Nicaragua opposition leaders fear it is only a matter of time until police come for them, too.

The government of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega has arrested five opposition leaders, following the detentions of four presidential contenders earlier this month.

Nicaraguan judicial authorities ordered Monday that a potential opposition presidential candidate be held for three months while his case is investigated. Arturo Cruz Sequeira, a former ambassador to the United States, was arrested Saturday under a controversial "treason" law passed in December. Cruz was considered a contender for the nomination of the opposition Citizens for Liberty party in the Nov. 7 elections.

FILE - In this Sept. 5, 2018 file photo, Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega and his wife and Vice President Rosario Murillo, lead a rally in Managua, Nicaragua. The Central American country has created a National Ministry for Extraterrestrial Space Affairs, The Moon and Other Celestial Bodies. (AP Photo/Alfredo Zuniga, File)MANAGUA – Nicaragua has created a new National Ministry for Extraterrestrial Space Affairs, The Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, which is drawing amused reactions on social media in a nation that has been struggling since anti-government protests three years ago. The agency was approved by 76 legislators Wednesday in the country’s congress, which is dominated by President Daniel Ortega’s Sandinista Party. Critics said the country does not have the money to spare for dreams of space exploration.

FILE - In this May 26, 2018 file photo, the Spanish word for "Murderer" covers a mural of Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega, as part of anti-government protests demanding his resignation in Managua, Nicaragua. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix, File)MANAGUA – Nicaragua’s ruling party-dominated Congress passed a law Monday that would essentially ban opposition candidates from running in the 2021 presidential elections. The elections are scheduled for Nov. 7, 2021, and despite term limits — which Ortega has already exceeded — the 75-year-old leader is expected to run again. Nicaragua’s two main opposition groups had announced earlier this year that they will form a coalition to compete in the 2021 race. The U.S. government says it is pressing Ortega to hold free and fair elections and respect basic rights.

Men wade through a street flooded after the passing of Hurricane Iota in La Lima, Honduras, Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. Rescuers searched at the site of a landslide in northern Nicaragua, where the local government confirmed four deaths and neighbors spoke of at least 16. Iota arrived Monday evening with winds of 155 mph (250 kph), hitting nearly the same location as Hurricane Eta two weeks earlier. The hurricane season officially ends Nov. 30. ___Associated Press writers Christopher Sherman in Mexico City, Marlon González in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and Manuel Rueda in Bogota, Colombia, contributed to this report.

MANAGUA – Hurricane Iota battered Nicaragua with screeching winds and pounding surf Tuesday, chasing tens of thousands of people from their homes along the same stretch of the Caribbean coast that was devastated by an equally powerful hurricane just two weeks ago. By Tuesday night, Iota had diminished to a tropical storm and was moving inland over northern Nicaragua and southern Honduras. Even before Iota hit Nicaragua, it scraped over the tiny Colombian island of Providencia, more than 155 miles (250 kilometers) off Nicaragua's coast. Iota developed later in the season than any other Category 5 storm on record, beating a Nov. 8, 1932, Cuba hurricane, said Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach. The hurricane season officially ends Nov. 30.

MANAGUA – Powerful Hurricane Iota made landfall on Nicaragua's Caribbean coast late Monday, threatening catastrophic damage to the same part of Central America already battered by equally strong Hurricane Eta less than two weeks ago. Iota had intensified into an extremely dangerous Category 5 storm early in the day, but the U.S. National Hurricane Center said it weakened slightly to Category 4, with maximum sustained winds of 155 mph (250 kph). Iota already had been hitting the Caribbean coasts of Nicaragua and Honduras with torrential rains and strong winds. Iota came ashore just 15 miles (25 kilometers) south of where Hurricane Eta made landfall Nov. 3, also as a Category 4 storm. It also sets the record for the latest Category 5 hurricane on record, beating the record set by the Nov. 8, 1932, Cuba Hurricane.

A pregnant woman is carried out of an area flooded by water brought by Hurricane Eta in Planeta, Honduras, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2020. (AP Photo/Delmer Martinez)TEGUCIGALPA – The rain-heavy remnants of Hurricane Eta flooded homes from Panama to Guatemala Thursday as the death toll across Central America rose to at least 57, and aid organizations warned the flooding and mudslides were creating a slow-moving humanitarian disaster across the region. Eta had sustained winds of 35 mph (55 kph) and was moving north at 8 mph (13 kph) Thursday. When what’s left of the storm wobbles back into the Caribbean it will regain some strength and become a tropical storm again, forecasts show. “Whatever comes out (of Central America) is going to linger awhile,” said Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach.

(AP Photo/Delmer Martinez)MANAGUA – Eta moved into Honduras on Wednesday as a weakened tropical depression but still bringing the heavy rains that have drenched and caused deadly landslides in the country's east and in northern Nicaragua. Before the center of Eta had even reached Honduras, hundreds of people had been forced from their homes by floodwaters. Eta left a path of destruction across northern Nicaragua starting with the coastal city of Bilwi. Northern Nicaragua is home to most of the country’s production of coffee, a critical export. In the Pacific, Tropical Storm Odalys continued to move across the open ocean and posed no threat to land.

The hurricane had sustained winds of 105 mph (165 kph), according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center, down from an overnight peak of 150 mph (240 kph). Even before it made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane, Honduras reported the first death after a mudslide trapped a 12-year-old girl in San Pedro Sula and two miners were killed in a mudslide in Bonanza, Nicaragua. Eta tripled in strength in about 24 hours, rapidly intensifying from a 40 mph (65 kph) storm Sunday morning to a 120 mph (190 kph) hurricane around midday Monday, and continuing to gain power throughout the day. Eta is the 28th named Atlantic storm this season, tying the 2005 record for named storms. Hurricane season still has a month to go, ending Nov. 30.

MANAGUA Inside Nicaragua's public hospitals, the walls are plastered with political propaganda, ruling-party activists ensure no information leaks out, and doctors were once forbidden from wearing masks. The government did not respond to a request for comment on the doctors' dismissals and the allegations of repression. Doctors have confirmed the relatives' suspicions, saying hospital administrators order virus deaths be categorized otherwise to keep official numbers low. The result has been dozens of sickened medical workers and more than 70 deaths, according to a count kept by the Medical Associations of Nicaragua. He had been voluntarily treating COVID-19 patients who were turned away from hospitals in Len and Chinandega, in western Nicaragua.

Pastora, one of the most mercurial, charismatic figures of Central Americas revolutionary upheavals, has died. His son Alvaro Pastora said Tuesday, June 16, 2020 that he died at Managuas Military Hospital of respiratory failure. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo, File)MANAGUA One of the most mercurial, charismatic figures of Central America's revolutionary upheavals, Edn Pastora, died early Tuesday. Edn Atanacio Pastora Gmez was born Nov. 15, 1936, in Ciudad Daro, Nicaragua. After the protests, as rumors swirled about Ortegas health, Pastora told the press that he had recommended that the Sandinista National Liberation Front choose a successor.