Civil Liberties

Prior to Ortega’s return in 2006, Nicaraguans enjoyed far greater freedoms than most other Latin American nations, including unparalleled freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of movement, and the right to assembly and to form unions. In practice, these freedoms have slipped dramatically under the new Ortega administration.

While officially, there is no government censorship of journalists, in practice, journalists and photographers report unsubtle harrassment, interference, and threats of violence, and Ortega has not hesitated to send the police through offices of newspapers and NGOs that don’t fully toe the party line.

The Nicaraguan constitution prohibits discrimination by birth, nationality, political belief, race, gender, language, religion, opinion, national origin, or economic or social condition. And Nicaraguans are permitted to form labor unions. Nearly half of the workforce, including much of the agricultural labor, is unionized.

© Randall Wood & Joshua Berman from Moon Nicaragua, 4th Edition