Nicaragua’s Regime Further Cracks Down on NGOs, Bringing Total Dissolutions to Over 3,600 Since 2018

Nicaragua’s regime has cancelled the legal status of 15 new NGOs, bringing the total number of banned organizations in the country to over 3,600 since December 2018. The Minister of the Interior of the Sandinista dictatorship, María Amelia Coronel, approved the dissolution of these organizations in Managua. According to the Ministry of the Interior, nine NGOs were closed for not complying with regulations, while six others requested voluntary dissolution. Among those canceled were various entities such as the National Chamber of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, the Association of Small Hotel Owners of Nicaragua and evangelical Christian groups.

The liquidation of assets from these organizations will be overseen by the Attorney General’s Office. However, assets belonging to NGOs that requested voluntary dissolution will not be transferred to the Nicaraguan State. The closure of these 15 NGOs adds to more than 3,600 organizations that have been dissolved following protests against the regime that began in April 2018.

Some politicians supporting the dictatorship accused these NGOs of using resources to try and overthrow Ortega during demonstrations. Meanwhile, Ortega claims that this illegalization process is part of a regularization process as not all registered NGOs in 2018 were operational. Nicaragua has been in a political and social crisis since April 2018 with tensions escalating after controversial elections held in November 2021 where Ortega claimed victory for a fifth term despite widespread allegations of electoral fraud.