Authorities in Nicaragua have arrested no fewer than 60 people for reportedly celebrating or expressing support for the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, a human rights watchdog group and local media outlets said on Friday.
Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo are fervent supporters of Maduro, who was apprehended by US military personnel in Caracas last Saturday and brought to New York for trial on drug and weapons accusations.
Since the arrest of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, “at least 60 arbitrary arrests” have happened over suspected support for the operation, according to an X post by the NGO Blue and White Monitoring, which compiles reports of human rights violations in Nicaragua.
According to the group, 49 persons remained in jail on Friday “without information about their legal status,” while nine were released and three were temporarily held.
“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,” the group said.
According to Confidencial, a Nicaraguan daily published outside the nation, the arrests were carried out as part of Murillo’s “state of alert” following Maduro’s imprisonment, which included neighborhood and social media surveillance.
According to La Prensa, another local daily, the arrests were made in response to “posts in favor” of the US operation.
