Central America

Nicaraguan newspaper manager, Ortega opponent jailed

AFP

The manager of a Nicaraguan opposition newspaper was sentenced to nine years’ jail for money laundering Thursday, his outlet reported, becoming the latest opponent of President Daniel Ortega to receive a lengthy prison term.

Juan Lorenzo Holmann Chamorro, a cousin of jailed former opposition presidential hopeful Cristiana Chamorro, was sentenced after a three-day trial held behind closed doors at a prison in the Central American country’s capital of Managua.

“I am strong and that is how I will remain. This was going to happen,” Holmann said after hearing the verdict, which also placed facilities used by his La Prensa de Nicaragua newspaper into the “custody” of authorities.

Holmann was arrested on August 14 after a police raid on La Prensa, which has been critical of the Ortega government since it took power in 2007.

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Details of the money-laundering charges against him are unknown due to the closed nature of the trial.

The Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights, which confirmed the sentence, issued a statement expressing its “strong condemnation” of the ruling.

Founded almost a century ago, La Prensa has operated with few remaining staff or resources after its bank accounts were frozen by the government.

Holmann’s cousin Cristiana Chamorro was sentenced last week to eight years in prison for money laundering and other crimes.

Prosecutors alleged the would-be presidential challenger had committed the crimes through a free speech foundation she had directed. She has denied the charges.

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Her brother Pedro Joaquin Chamorro and two former employees of the foundation were also sentenced to jail.

Before her arrest, Cristiana, daughter of former president Violeta Barrios de Chamorro (1990-1997), had emerged as a potential rival to Ortega.

But with numerous challengers and political opponents — including Holmann — detained before the presidential poll, Ortega coasted to a fourth consecutive term in a 2021 election slammed as fraudulent by the United States and the EU.

Central America

Guatemala Court Voids List of Candidates for Top Prosecutor Position

President of Guatemala cannot remove attorney general from office

Constitutional Court of Guatemala on Thursday annulled the shortlist of six candidates for attorney general and head of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, ordering authorities to repeat the evaluation phase of the selection process.

The ruling came in response to a legal appeal filed by Raúl Amílcar Falla Ovalle, who challenged the way professional experience had been assessed for some applicants, particularly those with careers in the judiciary.

As a result of the decision, the selection process has been suspended, and the Postulation Commission must return to the stage in which the original 48 applicants were evaluated.

According to the ruling, the commission must reapply the grading criteria without automatically counting years served as judges as equivalent to the professional experience required for the position.

“The Postulation Commission for the election of the Attorney General and Head of the Public Prosecutor’s Office is ordered to reassess the applicants by strictly applying the approved grading table,” the resolution states.

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The Constitutional Court also stressed that the process must guarantee merit, competence, and suitability, while ensuring greater transparency in the assignment of scores.

Central America

U.S. extradites Iranian man over alleged sanctions evasion scheme

The United States has extradited from Panama an Iranian national accused of evading economic sanctions against Iran by illegally exporting U.S. technology. He is scheduled to appear this Monday before a court in Seattle.

Reza Dindar, 44, was extradited on April 17 after being detained in Panama since July 2025 on charges related to export control violations between 2011 and 2012, allegedly carried out through companies based in China.

The defendant appeared before a U.S. district court in Seattle, where he faces charges of violating sanctions imposed by the United States on Iran in 1995 during the administration of Bill Clinton. These sanctions prohibit the unauthorized export, re-export, or supply—directly or indirectly—of U.S. goods, technology, or services to Iran or its government.

According to the indictment, between 2010 and 2014, Dindar led the company New Port Sourcing Solutions in Xi’an, China, which allegedly concealed the procurement of U.S. products for shipment to clients in Iran.

Central America

Bukele administration surpasses 1,100 homicide-free days amid ongoing crackdown

El Salvador's PNC adds 85 days without murders and April is on track to be the safest in Salvadoran history

On Saturday, April 18, the Policía Nacional Civil (PNC) reported that no homicides were recorded in El Salvador, bringing the total to 17 days without murders.

With this update, the country has accumulated 91 homicide-free days so far in 2026. January closed with 27 such days, followed by 24 in February and 23 in March, according to police data.

During the administration of President Nayib Bukele, a total of 1,193 days without homicides have been registered. Of those, 1,079 have occurred since the implementation of the state of exception.

This extraordinary security measure has been extended 49 times by the Asamblea Legislativa de El Salvador, with the latest extension in effect from April 1 to April 30, 2026. Under the measure, more than 91,700 gang members and collaborators have been detained and prosecuted for illicit association.