Business associations in Nicaragua suspended the call for a protest on Thursday in the capital, after the police denied the permit and accused them of participating in a failed coup to depose President Daniel Ortega.
The decision has been made to suspend the call to march, to avoid endangering the life and integrity of the attendees,”
said the businessmen in a statement after the police decided not to give permission for it to be carried out.
Although we are aware that this is a right that the Constitution itself grants to all Nicaraguans, without exception, the basic security conditions for the development of it are not given,”
added the businessmen.
The head of public security, Ovidio Hernández, argued that opposition demonstrations are “not peaceful or civic” and that the businessmen are not authorized to carry out political activities.
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) condemned the new prohibition to protest, denouncing the violation of human rights.
Last September the authorities declared illegal opposition protests that did not have authorization, and denied permission to go to three civil society organizations under the argument of coup plotting.
The anti-government protests broke out on April 18th 2018 against a failed social security reform that later became a demand for the resignation of Ortega, who has been in power for 11 years.