Central America
President of Iran visits the National Assembly of Nicaragua
June 14 |
The President of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi, met Wednesday with the deputies of the National Assembly of Nicaragua, during the second day of his official visit to that Central American country, and said that the resistance of the people contributes to the current change in the world order and the decline of the United States (US).
During a speech before the Legislative, the head of state said that US imperialism has always been against popular governments in Latin America. The main characteristic of world imperialism is that with its illegitimate demands it seeks to exploit the peoples and oppose their will.
He pointed out that the imperialists are afraid of justice, conscience and the peoples, since these pillars are contrary to their interests. He assured that the conscience of the peoples, the governments and the legislative assemblies of the sovereign countries are necessary to guide the struggle for freedom and justice.
He valued that the media empire seeks to change the image of the independent countries and sow doubts in their citizens, especially in the youth, to align their desires with the interests of imperialism.
He affirmed that constant communication and links between independent countries are vital for them to be better protected against imperialist conspiracies and plans.
He said that Iran and Nicaragua share a common history of struggle, resistance, revolutions and combat against a common enemy, as well as defense and respect for the will and vote of the people. He affirmed that if the Legislative Assemblies are based on the popular vote, then they will be an expression of their will and true democracy.
He recalled that the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Imam Komeini, stressed that the main criterion of legitimacy of a government is the vote of the people and that all the powers of the people are concentrated in the Assembly.
He further quoted the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khamenei, who has stressed that every Palestinian citizen has the right to vote and that a government and democracy must be established in Palestine by the vote of the Palestinians in the occupied territories, which the imperialists have prevented for 70 years.
He considered that imperialism used to send its armies or use its internal agents to impose its will, but now it also appeals to economic sanctions to achieve its purposes. Regarding them, he stressed that they will not be the last mechanism of imperialism to impose its will, but the Iranian people have demonstrated their ineffectiveness by turning them into an opportunity to strengthen themselves.
Central America
El Salvador to host World Cup qualifiers vs. Guatemala and Panama at Estadio Cuscatlán
El Salvador’s national football team will host its final round World Cup qualifying matches against Guatemala and Panama at Estadio Cuscatlán, the honorary president of the National Sports Institute (INDES), Yamil Bukele, announced Thursday via a statement on his X account.
The official explained that this decision comes after the American rock band Guns N’ Roses, originally scheduled to perform at Estadio Cuscatlán on Saturday, October 4, will now hold their concert at Estadio Jorge “El Mágico” González. This change allows both of La Selecta’s qualifying matches to be played at the “Coloso de Monserrat.”
“After a series of efforts and in response to popular demand, we are pleased to announce that our senior national team’s CONCACAF World Cup qualifying matches next October (Oct. 10 vs. Panama and Oct. 14 vs. Guatemala) will take place at Estadio Cuscatlán,” the statement reads.
Bukele also thanked the event promoters and the band for agreeing to the stadium change. “We sincerely thank Guns N’ Roses and StarTicket for agreeing to move the concert originally scheduled for October 4 at Estadio Cuscatlán,” the statement adds.
Additionally, Bukele expressed gratitude to the FESFUT Regularization Commission for their efforts with CONCACAF to make this possible, and he urged fans to stay tuned to official channels to purchase tickets and support La Selecta in their World Cup qualifying campaign.
Central America
Honduran president Xiomara Castro suspends activities due to influenza
Honduran President Xiomara Castro announced on Thursday that she has “temporarily” suspended her public activities due to a severe influenza virus.
“A strong influenza virus requires me to rest, trusting that I will be fully recovered for the grand celebration of our National Independence Day” next Monday, Castro stated on the social media platform X.
The president had planned to participate in several inaugurations across the northern, central, and eastern regions of the country throughout the week. She added that “these events will be rescheduled for new dates.”
Central America
Nicaragua’s government expels bishops, priests, and nuns in religious persecution
At least 261 religious figures, including the president of the Nicaraguan Episcopal Conference, Carlos Enrique Herrera, have been expelled as part of the persecution by Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo’s regime against the Catholic Church, reported the NGO Colectivo Nicaragua Nunca Más in its report Faith Under Fire.
The report details that among those expelled are bishops Silvio Báez, Rolando Álvarez, Isidoro Mora, as well as the Apostolic Nuncio in Managua, Waldemar Stanislaw Sommertag, along with approximately 140 priests, over 90 nuns, ten seminarians, and three deacons from different dioceses in the country.
“Since the expulsion of Nuncio Sommertag in March 2022, relations between Nicaragua and the Vatican have significantly deteriorated,” the NGO noted.
The report also documents the closure of 5,609 non-profit organizations, of which 1,294 were religious, including churches, universities, schools, clinics, and humanitarian organizations. Most of these had their assets confiscated by the Sandinista government. Additionally, the telecommunications regulator TELCOR shut down 54 media outlets, including 22 religious radio stations and TV channels.
Repression has extended to other religious denominations, with forced disappearances and criminalization of evangelical pastors, control over temples, media censorship, fiscal pressure, property confiscation, and the cancellation of legal status for the Moravian Church. Pastor Rudy Palacios remains in detention as part of this pattern of persecution.
The NGO emphasized that churches, especially the Catholic Church, played a key role in the 2018 national dialogue, denouncing abuses and providing refuge to injured protesters, which fueled the government’s hostility.
In 2023, Pope Francis described Ortega’s regime as a “blatant dictatorship”, to which the Nicaraguan president responded by dissolving the Society of Jesus and labeling the Church as a “mafia” and “anti-democratic.”
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