Central America

Arrested opponents are ‘criminals,’ says Nicaragua’s Ortega

AFP

Nicaragua’s leader Daniel Ortega said Wednesday that 19 opposition figures arrested just five months before a presidential election are not politicians but “criminals” who want to “overthrow the government.”

In raids that began on June 2, security and paramilitary forces have arrested five opposition presidential challengers as well as journalists, businessmen and a banker.

Cristiana Chamorro — daughter of former president Violeta Barrios de Chamorro and a favorite to face Ortega in November’s poll — was among those held.

“We are not dealing with pre-candidates, but criminals who have attacked the country,” Ortega said in an official televised ceremony, while accusing the imprisoned of being “agents of the Yankee empire” who “conspire against Nicaragua to overthrow the government.”

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“That is what we are pursuing, that is what is being investigated and that is what will be punished in due course.”

Those held face charges of “inciting foreign interference” under a new law initiated by Ortega’s government and approved by the legislature in December purported to defend Nicaragua’s sovereignty. The law has been widely criticized as a means of freezing out challengers and silencing opponents.

The recent arrests have increased international condemnation.

At a session of the UN’s Human Rights Council in Geneva on Tuesday, 59 nations issued a statement saying they were “deeply concerned that recently enacted laws unduly restrict political participation, freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association” in Nicaragua.

The Organization of American States’ (OAS) human rights council on Wednesday denounced a “new phase of repression” in the country, and urged the body’s judicial arm to protect four of the detained opposition politicians.

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During the OAS session, the United States’ representative Bradley Freden, quoting Secretary of State Antony Blinken, said it was time for Ortega’s government “to change course” and “allow the Nicaraguan people to fully exercise their rights — including their right to choose their leaders in free and fair elections.”

Ortega has been accused of authoritarianism by the opposition and international community, following the brutal repression of demonstrations against his administration in April 2018, which left more than 300 dead and thousands of exiles, according to human rights organizations.

A firebrand Marxist in his younger days, Ortega and his Sandinistas toppled a corrupt autocratic regime to popular applause and seized control of the country in 1979.

He ruled until 1990, returned to power in 2007 and has won two successive reelections. His vice president is his wife, Rosario Murillo.

The 75-year-old is widely expected to run again in the November election, though he has not said so.

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Central America

U.S. and El Salvador maintain close partnership, embassy says

The Chargé d’Affaires of the United States Embassy in El Salvador, Naomi Fellows, said on Monday that relations between the two countries remain “very close” and that both governments continue to work together in several areas of shared interest.

Speaking at a press conference, Fellows highlighted the longstanding friendship between the United States and El Salvador, as well as the achievements reached through bilateral agreements.

“In terms of our relationship with El Salvador, it continues to be very strong, very close. We are partners on security issues, on economic development; partners on migration, and on many other matters,” she said.

Fellows added that the relationship remains solid and is expected to continue strengthening through joint actions and cooperation initiatives.

On security, she noted that the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has underscored the results of the measures implemented by the government of President Nayib Bukele to improve public safety in the country.

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Senior U.S. officials have visited El Salvador to observe firsthand the impact of the Territorial Control Plan, including tours of the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT).

Fellows also emphasized the strong personal ties between the two nations, pointing to family and friendship connections that link Salvadorans and Americans.

Central America

Taiwan’s $10 million donation after 2001 earthquakes allegedly diverted in El Salvador

Amid the national tragedy left by the earthquakes of January 13 and February 13, 2001, a controversial corruption scandal emerged that later implicated former presidents Francisco Flores and Elías Antonio Saca, as well as senior executives of the ARENA party.

Although there were efforts to conceal a scheme involving the misuse of public funds, subsequent investigations revealed that between October 2003 and April 2004 the government of Taiwan, led at the time by President Chen Shui-bian, delivered at least three checks totaling $10 million in donations to El Salvador. The funds were diverted and never recorded by the Technical Secretariat for External Financing, the government body responsible for coordinating and monitoring international cooperation resources.

The plight of more than 1.5 million earthquake victims prompted an outpouring of international solidarity. However, it also fueled ambitions among sectors that allegedly took advantage of the emergency to improperly appropriate resources intended to ease the suffering of those affected.

Part of the $10 million donation was earmarked for the construction of housing for residents of Las Colinas, one of the communities hardest hit by the 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck on January 13, 2001, at 11:35 a.m. Plans also included the creation of a memorial park to honor the 525 victims buried by landslides.

At a press conference in January 2014, Alejandro Flores, president of the Las Colinas community board, stated that residents received some assistance from Taiwanese cooperation funds. However, he clarified that this support came from different resources and that the destination of the $10 million donation was never known to them.

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Central America

El Salvador reports safest year in its history, security cabinet says

Officials from the institutions that make up El Salvador’s Expanded Security Cabinet on Monday, January 5, presented the results achieved through the country’s security strategies during 2025.

Authorities highlighted a significant reduction in homicides, the arrest of all perpetrators involved in killings, and the seizure of millions of dollars’ worth of illegal drugs throughout the past year.

“We have reached the day when, as the Expanded Security Cabinet, we present the national security report,” said Minister of Security Gustavo Villatoro.

Villatoro detailed the number of days with zero homicides recorded during the administration of President Nayib Bukele, as well as during the state of exception in 2025.

“We have accumulated 1,102 days without homicides during President Nayib Bukele’s administration, of which 988 occurred during the state of exception,” Villatoro explained.

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The security minister underscored the government’s fight against impunity, noting that in 2025 authorities arrested those responsible for every homicide reported during the year.

“We closed 2025 with 82 homicides, all of which have been solved. That means we achieved a 100% homicide clearance rate and 0% impunity in homicide cases,” Villatoro said.

“These figures clearly show that the security measures promoted by the government were exactly what the country needed, and today we can say with full authority that we are the safest country in the entire Western Hemisphere,” he added.

Villatoro also reported the homicide rate per 100,000 inhabitants at the end of the year.

“In 2024, we closed with a homicide rate of 1.9 per 100,000 inhabitants. In 2025, we reduced it to 1.3, which represents 32 fewer homicides compared to the previous year,” he said.

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According to official data, of the 82 homicides recorded in 2025, 43 were linked to social intolerance, 31 to family-related disputes, and eight to criminal activity. Villatoro emphasized that El Salvador is the only country able to report a reduction of more than 50% in street and violent crimes, including theft, assault, rape, extortion, vehicle theft and robbery.

“2025 represents the safest year in our national history, and all of this is due to the daily efforts of thousands of men and women in uniform and in public service,” Villatoro stated.

Meanwhile, Defense Minister René Francis Merino Monroy noted that another key factor behind the country’s low crime figures has been the strengthened security shield implemented by authorities in the fight against drug trafficking.