Central America
The endless wait for word on loved ones arrested in Nicaragua
Every day, family members of the 21 opposition figures rounded up in Nicaragua in the past month visit the prison where they think their loved ones are held. Every day they leave disappointed, with no contact and no news.
“Some have been (held) for 31 days and no one” has been allowed to see them, “not even the lawyers,” said Martha Urcuyo, wife of detainee Pedro Chamorro.
“We hope that they are here,” she told AFP on one of her regular, but fruitless, visits to El Chipote prison southwest of Managua with other spouses, parents and children of the 21 seized in house raids and nighttime arrests which began on June 2.
Chamorro, a journalist, former opposition lawmaker and son of ex-president Violeta Barrios de Chamorro, was arrested on June 25 on charges of “inciting foreign interference” and “applauding” sanctions against Nicaragua.
His was the most recent arrest in the raids that have netted five presidential candidates including his sister Cristiana Chamorro — a favorite to beat Ortega in the November poll. She is under house arrest.
The siblings’ mother had beaten Ortega in 1990, ending an 11-year spell for the ex-guerilla at Nicaragua’s helm. He returned in 2007 and has twice won re-election since then.
Ortega accuses the detainees, who include critics, politicians, businessmen and former comrades, of being “criminals” seeking to overthrow him with US backing.
Under threat, several other Ortega opponents have fled the country ahead of the election in which he is widely expected to seek a fourth consecutive term, though he has not said so.
Most of the detainees face charges under a new law initiated by Ortega’s government and approved by parliament in December to defend Nicaragua’s “sovereignty.”
The law has been widely criticized as a means of freezing out challengers and silencing opponents.
– “We know nothing’ –
The international community has condemned Ortega’s crackdown and called for the release of the detainees.
But neither the outcry nor fresh US sanctions against Ortega allies have stopped the parade of detainees to El Chipote pre-trial prison — where rights groups have reported numerous instances of beatings and mistreatment in recent years.
It has been torture for loved ones as well.
“We always bring food, and then go back home with it,” Urcuyo said as she approached the jail bearing a recyclable plastic shopping bag with goodies for her husband, squaring her shoulders as she walked past a line of police in riot gear.
“We come three times a day and the only thing they (the guards) take from us is water,” she added.
Arlen Tinoco, the daughter of detained former foreign minister Victor Tinoco, said “we know nothing” about the fate of the prisoners.
“They have not informed us, they have not said anything. They have not allowed them (the prisoners) to see lawyers, we have zero information.”
A firebrand Marxist in his younger days, Ortega and his Sandinistas toppled a corrupt autocratic regime to popular applause and seized control of the country in 1979.
But opponents have increasingly denounced a descent into dictatorship, nepotism and corruption under Ortega, who leads the ruling Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN).
His vice president is also his wife, Rosario Murillo.
Last week, UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet urged the UN’s Human Rights Council to hold the Ortega government to account for “serious violations committed since April 2018,” including the recent arrests.
Rallies demanding the resignation of Ortega and Murillo broke out that year, but a violent clampdown claimed 328 lives, according to rights bodies, while hundreds were imprisoned and some 100,000 Nicaraguans fled into exile.
Central America
Guatemalan police officer killed in mob riots over baby kidnapping
A police officer was killed during riots provoked by an enraged mob in a Guatemalan town following the kidnapping of a baby, the government reported on Wednesday.
The incidents began on Tuesday night and continued into the early hours of Wednesday in the town of San Vicente Pacaya, about 25 km south of the capital, according to Minister of the Interior Francisco Jiménez.
“There was an incident in San Vicente Pacaya where, unfortunately, a police officer died after being struck in the head with a stone. He passed away this morning,” Jiménez said in a press conference.
He explained that the unrest erupted following the arrest of two suspects in connection with the kidnapping of “a baby just a few months old,” including a woman with a criminal record.
Sports
Venezuela investigates 18 baseball players seeking asylum in Spain
The Venezuelan government announced on Wednesday that it is investigating the case of 18 baseball players who are “under the supervision of Spanish authorities” after seeking protection.
In a statement, Venezuelan authorities said they are working to determine whether this case involves “a possible human trafficking scheme,” though they have not provided any evidence of such a crime.
The Venezuelan government emphasized its commitment to protecting the country’s athletes while also denouncing the use of international legal frameworks by certain governments allegedly seeking to discredit the administration.
CNN reached out to Spain’s National Police for a response to Venezuela’s claims. According to Spanish authorities, the 18 young athletes—including two minors—arrived in Spain to participate in a series of matches but had already planned to apply for asylum. Authorities confirmed on Tuesday that they had begun interviewing the players to process their international protection requests.
The team’s coach addressed the situation in a TikTok video, refuting local media reports that he had abandoned the athletes. He asserted that the players chose to remain in Barcelona to secure the necessary permits to sign with other teams and that their decision was unrelated to any political motivations.
Sports
Filipe Luis debuts as coach in Copa Libertadores with Flamengo
A two-time Copa Libertadores champion with Flamengo during his playing days, Filipe Luis will make his managerial debut in the tournament this Thursday when the popular Rio de Janeiro club faces Venezuela’s Deportivo Táchira.
Placed in Group C alongside Táchira, Liga de Quito, and Argentina’s Central Córdoba, Flamengo starts as one of the favorites—a major challenge for the 39-year-old former player.
His early coaching career has been off to a strong start.
After retiring in 2023, Filipe Luis took over as Flamengo’s head coach on September 30. Just 41 days later, he won his first title, the Copa do Brasil. The year 2025 has already brought two more trophies: the Supercopa do Brasil, where Flamengo defeated Botafogo—current Libertadores and Brasileirão champions—3-1, and the Campeonato Carioca.
At 8:30 PM local time (00:30 GMT Friday), Flamengo under Filipe Luis will make its international debut at Estadio Pueblo Nuevo in San Cristóbal. Although Gerson, Uruguayan Giorgian de Arrascaeta, and Ecuadorian Gonzalo Plata are unavailable, the squad still boasts attacking firepower with Bruno Henrique and Everton.
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