World · Latin America · 7 hrs ago
Nicaragua accused of disappearing critics and imprisoning opponents
Nicaragua’s government, led by Daniel Ortega and his wife, Rosario Murillo, is accused of targeting people who criticize it.
A psychologist using the name Juanita says some people are held for months while their families do not know where they are.
Former prisoners can face renewed scrutiny for offering or receiving support, and people have been jailed over social media activity or clothing.
Critics targeted include clergy, journalists and workers at non-governmental organizations.
After police violently suppressed protests in 2018, more than 300 people were killed, and hundreds of thousands of Nicaraguans fled the country.
The government has banned more than 5,500 NGOs and withdrawn from several international organizations, increasing the country’s isolation.
The United States has ended a temporary protection status for Nicaraguans, and one deported man was reportedly imprisoned again after returning.
The sources give no further next steps.
Nicaragua is accused of systematically making people who criticize the government disappear and imprisoning opponents.
A Nicaraguan psychologist identified by the pseudonym Juanita says families can go months without knowing where detained relatives are.
People have reportedly been jailed for actions including liking a social media post or wearing a shirt supporting Bishop Rolando Álvarez.
The government has also been accused of targeting clergy, journalists and NGO workers.
Since 2018, more than 5,500 NGOs have been banned and hundreds of thousands of Nicaraguans have fled into exile.
- Who
- Nicaragua’s government, led by Daniel Ortega and co-president Rosario Murillo, is accused of targeting critics and opponents.
- What
- Critics are allegedly disappeared, detained and imprisoned, while some have been forced into exile.
- When
- The article describes a pattern since 2018 and reports recent cases. It was published on October 11, 2026.
- Where
- Nicaragua.
- Why
- The article says people have been targeted for alleged government criticism, including social media activity and support for Bishop Rolando Álvarez.
Nicaraguan government
Critics and opponents
Treatment of critics
Nicaraguan government
The government is accused of detaining and imprisoning people for alleged criticism.
Critics and opponents
Critics and their supporters say people are punished for acts such as liking a social media post or wearing a shirt supporting a bishop.
Disappearing people means that people in Nicaragua sometimes do not know for months where their relatives are. They only know that a representative of the regime took the person away.
There were people who were put in prison because they had liked a post on a social network. Or, for example, because they were wearing a T-shirt in support of Monsignor Rolando Álvarez.
12 percent of the population have left the country since 2018. You feel that everywhere.
Police violently suppressed social protests in Nicaragua, leaving more than 300 people dead.
More than 5,500 NGOs have been banned, and hundreds of thousands of Nicaraguans have fled into exile.
A constitutional reform formally made Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo co-presidents.
The presidential couple announced that there would be no more elections in Nicaragua.
- Deaths in 2018 protests
- More than 300 people
- NGOs banned since 2018
- More than 5,500
- Population that left since 2018
- 12 percent, according to Juanita
- Nicaragua’s population
- Just under 7 million
- Formal co-presidency
- Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, following a 2025 constitutional reform
Sources
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