June 14, 2021 | less than a minute read

Nicaragua: Five more opposition figures detained ahead of election

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Salvador Allende

Presidente de la República de Chile.

Get in touch

Salvador Allende

Presidente de la República de Chile.

Police in Nicaragua have detained five more prominent opposition figures, in what critics say is a crackdown on opponents of the country's president.

Several former allies of long-time President Daniel Ortega, 75, were among those arrested on Sunday.

Police accused them of inciting foreign interference in Nicaragua's affairs, among other crimes.

Twelve senior opposition figures, including four presidential hopefuls, have been arrested in recent days.

Opposition to Mr Ortega, who is currently serving his fourth term in office, three of them consecutive, has been growing in the past years. In 2018, mass anti-government protests swept through the country but were met with a violent police response. Hundreds were killed and thousands were injured in the clashes between the protesters on the one hand, and the security forces and pro-government militia on the other.