The Nicaraguan regime approved new measures to increase control over civil society

The Nicaraguan government announced a series of measures this Friday Increases your control NGO in the country and continues to pursue the goal of eliminating them completely. Among the changes, two stand out: one changes their relationship with the state and the other eliminates tax exemptions for these companies.

“As of today, NGOs operating in Nicaragua are governed by a A new operating model We have classified as Collaborative alliances” With state institutions, he began by explaining the regime in a statement. This initiative, they continued, obligates NGOs “Specific proposals for alliance programs and projects on specific themes” to officials of the regime.This is “Government and state institutions may or may not accept”.

Likewise, they pointed out that “once the project is developed, the company can propose another partnership alliance” and “No plan or scheme shall be or shall be the object of any exemption or other tax relief”The authorities decided.

Through this, the government will have complete control over the activities of these organizations in the country and will have full power to stop them if desired.

Opposition media abroad were quick to criticize the announcement, as was the portal 100% messageIt stated that “henceforth, certain organizations standing in Nicaragua (…) must present a plan to co-administer with the Sandinista dictatorship.”

The new rules were announced amid the Daniel Ortega – Rosario Murillo binomial crusade against these organizations that has been going on since 2018. financial discord, A doer Coup d'état for its administration. There are far too many 3,600 Companies are closing, the last of them this Tuesday.

According to official gazette newspaperAuthorities revoked the legal status of the Cáritas Diocesana Association of Matagalpa (Cáritas de Matagalpa), along with 14 other non-profit organizations. Of the total 15, six will be forced to hand over their properties to the government.

As usual, the Ministry of Home Affairs distanced itself from allegations of forced disbandment, instead explaining that it was responding to unilateral closures. “violation” By companies regarding reporting of recent years financial statements. The Sandinistas assure that this is the process of an organization that arose from the fact that of the 7,227 NGOs registered in the country as of 2018, not all of them are functional.

Persecution of these institutions in Nicaragua intensified in 2018, after massive anti-government protests called for Ortega to step down from power. Later, the rallies were brutally suppressed by official security forces — killing more than 300 people, according to the UN — and NGOs were accused of acting on behalf of foreign agents as financiers of the uprisings.

(With information from AFP and Reuters)