Central America
Amid official denials, Nicaraguans battle Covid surge
AFP
In Nicaragua, governed with an iron fist by Daniel Ortega, official coronavirus figures do not reflect the reality of a population scrambling to find oxygen tanks for stricken loved ones.
The government insists there is no shortage of hospital beds and says the pandemic has killed 201 Nicaraguans out of a population of 6.5 million.
But observers and residents paint a different picture.
A network of independent doctors, Observatorio Ciudadano, says more than 4,500 people have died with Covid-19-like symptoms, and lists at least 25,150 suspected cases — almost double the government’s official figure of 13,206.
Ortega, who since June has arrested dozens of opposition candidates ahead of November 7 elections in which he will seek a fourth consecutive term, dismisses these numbers as “pandemic terrorism.”
Last Wednesday, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said that despite a lack of “official figures to allow a proper analysis” there were “other sources indicating high demand for health services, particularly hospitals” in Nicaragua.
“The situation is critical… it is very bad,” said Erika, who declined to give her surname, one of hundreds queuing for oxygen in the capital, Managua.
She said she had lost two family members to the pandemic.
“I no longer want to go onto social media and be faced with all the condolences” expressed for people who had passed away, added Yonarqui Martinez, a human rights advocate.
The Catholic Church said that among its ranks alone, 16 priests have died of the virus in Nicaragua to date, most of them this year.
– Hoping for a ‘miracle’ –
The PAHO said it had received reports of “high transmission, that is an increase in the number of cases — also in children and teenagers — both in terms of hospitalizations, suspected and confirmed cases, and deaths.”
Oxygen tanks have been in short supply for weeks, and from all corners of Nicaragua, people flock to the capital to try and acquire some of the precious gas for loved ones they say they have no choice but to treat at home.
Taxi driver Julio Larios traveled 180 kilometers (112 miles) from Leon in the country’s west to Managua only to be told after a long wait that there was no more oxygen.
“I will queue and hope by some miracle that another tanker comes today,” he told AFP.
Francisco Montenegro, who has taken in both his parents stricken with Covid-19, is also in an oxygen queue.
He laments the lack of containment measures to brake the spread of the pandemic.
“In the streets, in the bus, everywhere there are people not wearing masks,” he told AFP, and blamed Nicaragua’s Covid-19 resurgence on the amassing of “crowds” despite low rates of vaccination.
Unlike other countries in Latin America that have also experienced infection surges, Nicaragua has never had a coronavirus lockdown.
Sporting events, large religious gatherings, fairs and dance parties have continued throughout the epidemic, often gathering thousands together in enclosed spaces, and without strict mask protocols.
Ortega has insisted that if the country “stops working… it will die of hunger.”
A million Nicaraguans, according to the central bank, make ends meet through informal employment.
– Masks, hand-washing –
To date, Nicaragua has administered at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine to only 523,000 of its residents — all over the age of 45 or falling into vulnerable groups of people battling cancer or other diseases.
The government intends to complete vaccination of this group by next month, as well as 30 percent of those over the age of 30 — for whom the campaign started Monday.
Nicaragua’s health authorities have in recent weeks been urging people to respect voluntary counter-infection measures such as mask-wearing, social distancing, and regular hand-washing.
Health personnel are travelling around the country, making home calls to detect suspected cases.
For its part, Observatorio Ciudadana urges Nicaraguans with Covid-19 symptoms to voluntarily self-isolate to avoid a “collapse of the hospital system.”
Central America
Costa Rica faces historic vote on lifting presidential immunity for Rodrigo Chaves
Costa Rica, a country internationally recognized for its democratic and political stability, is heading toward an unprecedented decision: whether to lift President Rodrigo Chaves’s immunity so he can face a criminal trial over alleged irregular management of funds from the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI).
On Wednesday, the Legislative Assembly formed a commission of three lawmakers to analyze the accusation against the president, which was forwarded earlier this month by the Supreme Court of Justice. The commission has 20 days, extendable for another 20, to issue a report so that the full Assembly can vote on whether to lift the president’s immunity.
Lifting the immunity would require 38 votes — two-thirds of the legislature — which is largely composed of opposition parties.
If immunity is removed, prosecutors would be able to continue their investigation and potentially question the president. If the motion fails, the case would return to the judiciary and remain pending until Chaves’s term ends in May 2026.
Since the country’s last civil war in 1948 and the abolition of the army later that year, Costa Rica has held uninterrupted elections, every president has completed their term without major issues, and none has ever had their immunity lifted — although several have faced judicial proceedings.
Central America
Honduras sees ongoing killings of land defenders and attacks on press, warns NGO
The Association for Participatory Citizenship (ACI PARTICIPA) denounced on Thursday that killings of land defenders and attacks aimed at silencing the press continue in Honduras.
“We continue to see murders of defenders of land and territory, as well as aggressions to silence the press. In 2024, there were 490 attacks and aggressions that constitute human rights violations,” said ACI PARTICIPA’s executive director, Hedme Castro, during the presentation of the 2024 Report on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders in Honduras.
Castro noted that the aggressions range “from attempts on lives, threats, harassment, intimidation, and smear campaigns, which have become very frequent, to obstruction of work, surveillance, and criminalization.”
She highlighted that, although only seven defenders were killed in 2024 compared to 24 in 2023, “last year we saw a significantly high number of women murdered, and cases of missing children.”
Moreover, Castro criticized the authorities for failing to address the violence. “There is no response from the authorities to reduce the violence in the country; in fact, I believe that the ‘fathers of the nation’ (members of Parliament) are not setting the right example, and the situation in the Legislative branch is actually fueling violence,” she added, referring to frequent violent incidents in Congress.
The ACI PARTICIPA report also notes that the government led by President Xiomara Castro has made “an important effort over the past two years to improve citizens’ access to basic rights, helping to cushion the effects of economic deterioration, although a decent standard of living has yet to be achieved for the majority of Hondurans.”
Central America
Daniel Ortega’s last historic sandinista ally detained in Managua
Former Sandinista revolutionary commander and presidential economic adviser Bayardo Arce Castaño was arrested on Thursday in Managua for alleged irregular transactions involving state-owned assets, according to local media reports.
The arrest was carried out by agents from the Special Operations Directorate of the Police, who raided his residence in the southern part of the Nicaraguan capital. The Attorney General’s Office (PGR) is investigating Arce for “transactions and/or negotiations” that, according to authorities, do not comply with current legal standards.
Arce, 76, was one of the nine historic commanders of the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) who led the overthrow of dictator Anastasio Somoza in 1979. Since 2007, he had served as the economic adviser to dictator Daniel Ortega, and was the last of the historic commanders still aligned with the regime.
The Attorney General’s Office accused Arce of contempt after he refused to appear for questioning about properties registered in his name. Authorities allege that Ricardo Bonilla, Arce’s assistant, was also involved in questionable financial dealings and was jailed after failing to comply with a summons.
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