Violent protests kill 10 in Nicaragua

A protester fires from a homemade mortar at riot police during the third day of violent

clashes in Managua, Nicaragua on April 20. (AP) Violent protests against a proposed change to Nicaragua’s pension system have left at least 10 people dead over two days, the government said Friday.

In the biggest protests in President Daniel Ortega’s 11 years in office in this poor Central American country, people are angry over the plan because workers and employers would have to chip in more toward the retirement system.

The government is willing to hold a dialogue and Ortega will issue a formal call on Saturday, Vice President Rosario Murillo said, adding: “At least 10 compatriots have died.” Demonstrations rocked the capital Managua and nearby cities for a third day. The new law, besides increasing employer and employee contributions, would cut the overall pension amount by five percent. “We are against these reforms, which means we’re against this government taking from the pockets of Nicaraguans,” said Juan Bautista.

He said riot police brutally attacked demonstrators like him because “the dictator does not like people to protest.”

A woman nearby shouted: “The people are tired of this repression!” Students from Polytechnic University have been holed up on their campus since Thursday evading police. Other students took refuge in nearby buildings or residences.

In Las Colinas, south of the capital, demonstrators raised small barricades and with their hands raised asked the riot police not to target them. (AFP)