Nicaragua’s government has been cracking down on non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in recent years. The latest move saw 169 more groups lose their legal status.
This adds to the thousands of NGOs already banned since 2018.
The government says these groups didn’t follow rules about reporting their finances. They claim some NGOs were trying to cause trouble for those in power.
Many different types of groups have been affected, including religious organizations and charities that help children. To keep working, these groups now need to team up with the government.
Changes to Criminal Laws
Nicaragua’s president has sent a new bill to lawmakers. This bill wants to change some criminal laws.
It adds new crimes like funding terrorism and computer crimes. It also makes some existing crimes worse.
The bill makes it illegal to go against the country or its government. People who do this could go to jail for up to 30 years. This is twice as long as before.
The new rules would apply to anyone, even if they’re not from Nicaragua. They could get in trouble for things they do in other countries too.
Some crimes might even get life in prison.
This is a big change from before.
These new laws could affect many people:
- Regular citizens
- People from other countries
- Groups that work in Nicaragua
The government says these changes will help keep the country safe.
But some worry it might make it easier to punish people who disagree with the government.