Hundreds of prisoners released in Nicaragua before protests anniversary
MANAGUA: Nicaragua’s government released 636 prisoners on Tuesday as embattled President Daniel Ortega seeks to consolidate his hold on power nearly one year since the beginning of the biggest protests to shake his government.
The gesture came on the eve of a march organised by Ortega’s political opponents that the government has deemed illegal, potentially marking a new flashpoint in the conflict.
The protests first erupted last April when Ortega, a former Marxist guerrilla, tried to cut welfare benefits.
The protests soon spiraled into a broader resistance movement and became the sharpest test of his authority since he took office again in 2007.
The freed prisoners will finish their sentences under home arrest and be prohibited from attending protests or other public gatherings.
According to the government, the group includes 36 who were arrested during previous protests, but it said none were political prisoners.
The Civic Alliance, an opposition group, said in a statement, however, that 18 such detainees were released.
The opposition wants the government to honor a pledge to release hundreds of prisoners still in custody who were detained during the protests of the past year.
At least 324 people have been killed in the disturbances, according to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, an autonomous arm of the Organisation of American States. — Reuters