Systemic Exclusion of Outsiders
November 20, 2021
In the lead-up to the election, Ortega’s government attempted to block foreign influence by removing international and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). In the span of about a month this past August, Nicaragua ordered the closure of 45 NGOs operating within the country, according to ABC.
Drawing condemnation from the U.S., the European Union (EU), and international humanitarian groups, this ban affected advocacy groups such as the Christian Medical Action, The Nicaraguan Federation of Non-governmental Organizations, and the Nicaraguan Network for Democracy and Local Development, as well as groups associated with the opposition, such as the Mejía Godoy Foundation, the namesake of popular exiled folk singers Carlos and Luis Enrique Mejía Godoy.