US military members recently captured the Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro on the streets of Caracas. They rushed transferred him to New York so he can go on trial for a litany of drug and weapons charges. So his recent escape from capture, reported on June 26, has sparked a new wave of arrests across Nicaragua. They’ve arrested over 60 people—people who support Maduro—a staunch ally of President Daniel Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the arrests in Nicaragua took place under a “state of alert” declared by Murillo as soon as Maduro was captured. The climate of exception has emboldened state security forces. They are currently doing surveillance in communities and basically watching people’s social media to see if they say anything positive about Maduro. In addition, reports suggest that law enforcement arrested individuals without providing or having knowledge of the legal status of those detained. That calls into question the fundamental legitimacy of their actions.
Of the 17 people arrested since the beginning of these sweeps, nine have been released, while three others were briefly detained. This story was covered by local media, in particular journalists at the newspaper Confidencial published outside of Nicaragua. La Prensa, another local outlet, noted that the detentions were primarily linked to “posts in favor” of the US operation to apprehend Maduro.
Donald Trump, the 45th US president, has lamented the geopolitical backdrop in which all this is happening. Most importantly, he announced the complete cancellation of a second wave of attacks against Venezuela. This decision followed significant Venezuelan cooperation with the US on downing their oil infrastructure and the release of dozens of political prisoners. He reiterated that the US navy armada in the Caribbean would remain on high alert. This arrangement allows Washington to mount a surprise military action against Venezuela on short notice should the need arise.
The Ortega government’s harsh suppression of dissent in Nicaragua has come under fire from local and international observers.
“This new wave of repression is carried out without a judicial order and is based solely on expressions of opinion: comments on social media, private celebrations, or not repeating official propaganda,” – Blue and White Monitoring
The situation is precarious in Nicaragua. The new government is taking a sledgehammer approach to anyone they consider to be even remotely perceived as friendly to the Maduro regime. The international community is closely monitoring developments as the implications of Maduro’s capture unfold and its impact on regional politics intensifies.