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        {"code":"27426","sect":"Central America","sect_slug":"central-america","hits":"1943","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/en\/202405\/centroamerica\/27426","link_edit":"","name":"In Nicaragua, Humberto Ortega Is Just the Latest Regime Insider to Fall On His Sword","slug":"in-nicaragua-humberto-ortega-is-just-the-latest-regime-insider-to-fall-on-his-sword","info":"The de-facto house arrest of Daniel Ortega\u2019s brother Humberto takes the purge of historic Sandinistas to a new extreme. Seven months after the Nicaraguan dictatorship purged one-tenth of the politically obedient judiciary, including the Supreme Court president at odds with VP Rosario Murillo, the high court is two-thirds vacant.","mtag":"Politics","noun":{"html":"\u003Cspan class='tint-text--dark' data_href='\/user\/profile\/rgressier'\u003E Roman Gressier\u003C\/span\u003E","data":{"roman-gressier":{"sort":"rgressier","slug":"roman-gressier","path":"roman_gressier","name":"Roman Gressier","edge":"0","init":"0"}}},"view":"1943","pict":{"cms-image-000040561-jpg":{"feat":"0","sort":"40561","name":"cms-image-000040561.jpg","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000040561.jpg","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000040561.jpg","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000040561-jpg","text":"&lt;p&gt;Nicaraguan Defense Minister Humberto Ortega (left) signs a cease-fire agreement with contra rebels on March 23, 1988, in Sapoa. L-to-R Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega (with spectacles), Joao Baena Soares, general secretary of the Organization of American States, Cardinal Miguel Obando y Bravo, and Alfredo C\u00e9sar, director of the Nicaraguan Resistance (NR). Photo Manoocher Degathi\/AFP&lt;\/p&gt;","capt":"\u003Cp\u003ENicaraguan Defense Minister Humberto Ortega (left) signs a cease-fire agreement with contra rebels on March 23, 1988, in Sapoa. L-to-R Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega (with spectacles), Joao Baena Soares, general secretary of the Organization of American States, Cardinal Miguel Obando y Bravo, and Alfredo C\u00e9sar, director of the Nicaraguan Resistance (NR). Photo Manoocher Degathi\/AFP\u003C\/p\u003E"},"cms-image-000040562-jpg":{"feat":"0","sort":"40562","name":"cms-image-000040562.jpg","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000040562.jpg","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000040562.jpg","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000040562-jpg","text":"&lt;p&gt;The son of Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega, Laureano Ortega, attends a ceremony in which the country received 250 buses from China in Managua on November 17, 2023. Photo Jairo CAJINA\/Nicaraguan Presidency\/AFP&lt;\/p&gt;","capt":"\u003Cp\u003EThe son of Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega, Laureano Ortega, attends a ceremony in which the country received 250 buses from China in Managua on November 17, 2023. Photo Jairo CAJINA\/Nicaraguan Presidency\/AFP\u003C\/p\u003E"},"cms-image-000040558-jpg":{"feat":"1","sort":"40558","name":"cms-image-000040558.jpg","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000040558.jpg","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000040558.jpg","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000040558-jpg","text":"&lt;p&gt;From left to right, Minister of the Presidency Antonio Lacayo, Minister of Defense General Humberto Ortega and President Violeta Chamorro during a ceremony for the first anniversary at the presidency on September 2, 1991 in Managua. Photo AFP&lt;\/p&gt;","capt":"\u003Cp\u003EFrom left to right, Minister of the Presidency Antonio Lacayo, Minister of Defense General Humberto Ortega and President Violeta Chamorro during a ceremony for the first anniversary at the presidency on September 2, 1991 in Managua. Photo AFP\u003C\/p\u003E"},"cms-image-000040563-jpg":{"feat":"0","sort":"40563","name":"cms-image-000040563.jpg","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000040563.jpg","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000040563.jpg","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000040563-jpg","text":"&lt;p&gt;Alba Luz Ramos, president of the Nicaraguan Supreme Court, speaks with President Enrique Bola\u00f1os on Sep. 5, 2003. The head of state had just given a speech commemmorating the twenty-fourth anniversary of the Nicaraguan National Police and severely criticizing the actions of the Judicial Branch. Photo Miguel \u00c1lvarez\/AFP&lt;\/p&gt;","capt":"\u003Cp\u003EAlba Luz Ramos, president of the Nicaraguan Supreme Court, speaks with President Enrique Bola\u00f1os on Sep. 5, 2003. The head of state had just given a speech commemmorating the twenty-fourth anniversary of the Nicaraguan National Police and severely criticizing the actions of the Judicial Branch. Photo Miguel \u00c1lvarez\/AFP\u003C\/p\u003E"},"cms-image-000038319-jpg":{"feat":"0","sort":"38319","name":"cms-image-000038319.JPG","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000038319.JPG","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000038319.JPG","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000038319-jpg","text":"&lt;p&gt;A demonstrator shows a bullet from an MP5, a sub-machine gun used by Nicaraguan police to attack protestors in Masaya on June 2, 2018. International organizations and journalists reported during the mass protests that government forces often shot to kill. Photo V\u00edctor Pe\u00f1a\/El Faro&lt;\/p&gt;","capt":"\u003Cp\u003EA demonstrator shows a bullet from an MP5, a sub-machine gun used by Nicaraguan police to attack protestors in Masaya on June 2, 2018. International organizations and journalists reported during the mass protests that government forces often shot to kill. Photo V\u00edctor Pe\u00f1a\/El Faro\u003C\/p\u003E"}},"pict_main__sort":40558,"date":{"live":"2024\/05\/27"},"data_post_dateLive_YY":"2024","data_post_dateLive_MM":"05","data_post_dateLive_DD":"27","text":"\u003Cp id=\"docs-internal-guid-80529925-7fff-f7d0-bedc-b1d1b45e0bce\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #888888;\"\u003EEl Faro English shines a light on Central America.\u003C\/span\u003E \u003Ca href=\"\/suscribe\/en\/\"\u003ESubscribe\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Cspan style=\"color: #888888;\"\u003Eto our newsletter.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt was no small news on May 13 when retired general Humberto Ortega warned his brother, President Daniel Ortega, in an op-ed in exiled newspaper \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.laprensani.com\/2024\/05\/13\/opinion\/3318458-que-hacer-7\"\u003ELa Prensa\u003C\/a\u003E to stop \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202305\/centroamerica\/26813\/where-does-central-america-fit-in-a-multipolar-world\"\u003Eengaging in global great-power conflict\u003C\/a\u003E amid what he called the risk of a \u201csurgical strike by the North American government, if they [the U.S.] were to consider it indispensable.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EBut he trampled even more sensitive toes when, in a May 19 \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.infobae.com\/america\/america-latina\/2024\/05\/19\/humberto-hermano-de-daniel-ortega-su-poder-dictatorial-no-tiene-sucesores-tras-su-muerte-debera-haber-elecciones\/\"\u003Einterview with Infobae\u003C\/a\u003E, he posited that \u003Cstrong\u003Eno dynastic successor \u2014Daniel Ortega\u2019s wife and confidant, Vice President Rosario Murillo,\u003C\/strong\u003E or their son, diplomatic envoy Laureano Ortega Murillo, who have spent years positioning themselves\u2014 would be politically capable of filling the void if Ortega, 78, were to suddenly die.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EHumberto, a key strategist in the 1979 Sandinista Revolution and architect of the current Army who has for years dealt muted critiques of the regime from a delicate familial perch, this time described his brother\u2019s rule as \u201cdictatorial\u201d, and\u003Cstrong\u003E denounced that \u201cradicals\u201d in Daniel\u2019s inner circle would \u201clike to kill\u201d him.\u003C\/strong\u003E \u201cI prefer to die defending these principles than give them the chance to humiliate me [by forcing me into exile],\u201d he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EWithin hours of publication, the National Police surrounded his house, confiscated his devices, interrogated him, and ordered him to report his every movement.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003ETwo days later, on May 21, \u003Cstrong\u003Eauthorities deported Judith Butler, a U.S. journalist\u003C\/strong\u003E and longtime resident who \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/nacion\/judy-butler-yo-no-era-la-traductora-de-humberto-ortega\/\"\u003Ehad recently agreed\u003C\/a\u003E to translate his op-ed.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u201cHumberto has always had a half-critical posture, but never stopped being a fervent Sandinista,\u201d observes journalist Wilfredo Miranda. \u201cHe has walked the tightrope of criticizing Ortega\u2019s authoritarianism while trying to tone down or hedge his brother\u2019s responsibilities in the \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202404\/centroamerica\/27304\/Nicaragua%E2%80%99s-Broken-Generation.htm\"\u003Ebrutal repression unleashed\u003C\/a\u003E in 2018.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E    \u003Cfigure class=\"pict pict_land pict_move_posc 0 cs_img cs_img--curr rule--ss_c\" data-shot=\"pict\" data-hint=\"pict\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"pict__pobj text-overflow\"\u003E\u003Cimg src=https:\/\/elfaro.net\/get_img?ImageWidth=3000&ImageHeight=2000&ImageId=38319 class=\"pobj\" style=\"max-width: 100%\" rel=\"resizable\" alt=\"A demonstrator shows a bullet from an MP5, a sub-machine gun used by Nicaraguan police to attack protestors in Masaya on June 2, 2018. International organizations and journalists reported during the mass protests that government forces often shot to kill. Photo V\u00edctor Pe\u00f1a\/El Faro\" \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E \u003Cfigcaption class=\"pict__text cs_img_caption folk_content typo_buttons line--ss_s0c line--ss_s0c--auto block full-width text-overflow rule--ss_l relative\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"__content block-inline full-width align-top tint-text--idle relative\"\u003E A demonstrator shows a bullet from an MP5, a sub-machine gun used by Nicaraguan police to attack protestors in Masaya on June 2, 2018. International organizations and journalists reported during the mass protests that government forces often shot to kill. Photo V\u00edctor Pe\u00f1a\/El Faro \u003Cdiv class=\"photographer text_italic rule--ss_l tint-text--idle\"\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/figcaption\u003E \u003C\/figure\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u201cThey [the regime] made an example of Humberto Ortega, given his boldness in \u003Cstrong\u003Epublicly commenting between the lines on his [brother\u2019s] health,\u201d\u003C\/strong\u003E says Edipcia Dub\u00f3n, coordinator of the Dialogue of Women for Democracy and an exiled former Sandinista Renovation Movement (MRS) legislator.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EIn a May 21 \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/opinion\/por-que-impusieron-casa-por-carcel-de-facto-a-humberto-ortega\/\"\u003Ecolumn\u003C\/a\u003E for exiled digital outlet Confidencial, dissident former guerrilla commander M\u00f3nica Baltodano wrote that the attacks on Humberto Ortega \u201cindicate that the old block of power is weakening.\u201d Authorities responded that same day by seizing a retirement home belonging to her and Julio L\u00f3pez Campos, ex-director of international relations for the FSLN, a property holding their life savings.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe Rosario factor\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u201cHumberto was trying to provoke a reaction from the Sandinista militancy,\u201d says economist and 2021 presidential candidate Juan Sebasti\u00e1n Chamorro, \u201cbecause there is a great deal of discontent, particularly among the \u003Cstrong\u003Ehistoric leaders who, like him, deeply resent being relegated in favor of a new bourgeoisie of corrupt officials.\u201d\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EJournalist Wilfredo Miranda attributes the swift reaction to Humberto to how sensitive the succession issue is for \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/english.elpais.com\/international\/2023-11-16\/rosario-murillo-carries-out-great-purge-in-nicaraguas-judiciary-dismissing-over-900-people.html\"\u003ERosario Murillo\u003C\/a\u003E, also known as \u201cco-president\u201d, a title with no legal basis that reflects her clout. In recent years, Murillo has accumulated administrative powers and political influence in institutions like the National Police and the National Assembly.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u201cIt hurt Murillo that Humberto said [in the press] that if Anastasio Somoza had failed to install his son as a dynastic successor, she would be even less capable,\u201d Miranda says. \u201cSince the 1980s, Rosario Murillo has been a divider between brothers. \u003Cstrong\u003EShe has always tried to distance her husband from any external influence, to control him herself.\u201d\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E    \u003Cfigure class=\"pict pict_land pict_move_posc 0 cs_img cs_img--curr rule--ss_c\" data-shot=\"pict\" data-hint=\"pict\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"pict__pobj text-overflow\"\u003E\u003Cimg src=https:\/\/elfaro.net\/get_img?ImageWidth=4000&ImageHeight=2727&ImageId=40561 class=\"pobj\" style=\"max-width: 100%\" rel=\"resizable\" alt=\"Nicaraguan Defense Minister Humberto Ortega (left) signs a cease-fire agreement with contra rebels on March 23, 1988, in Sapoa. L-to-R Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega (with spectacles), Joao Baena Soares, general secretary of the Organization of American States, Cardinal Miguel Obando y Bravo, and Alfredo C\u00e9sar, director of the Nicaraguan Resistance (NR). Photo Manoocher Degathi\/AFP\" \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E \u003Cfigcaption class=\"pict__text cs_img_caption folk_content typo_buttons line--ss_s0c line--ss_s0c--auto block full-width text-overflow rule--ss_l relative\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"__content block-inline full-width align-top tint-text--idle relative\"\u003E Nicaraguan Defense Minister Humberto Ortega (left) signs a cease-fire agreement with contra rebels on March 23, 1988, in Sapoa. L-to-R Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega (with spectacles), Joao Baena Soares, general secretary of the Organization of American States, Cardinal Miguel Obando y Bravo, and Alfredo C\u00e9sar, director of the Nicaraguan Resistance (NR). Photo Manoocher Degathi\/AFP \u003Cdiv class=\"photographer text_italic rule--ss_l tint-text--idle\"\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/figcaption\u003E \u003C\/figure\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EIndeed, other insiders have been bitterly sidelined over the years: Omar Halleslevens, a retired general and VP during Ortega\u2019s unconstitutional third term (2012-2017), was \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=LYup70CeEYQ\"\u003Eexpelled\u003C\/a\u003E from Murillo\u2019s office in May 2023; Samuel Santos was replaced in 2017 after ten years as foreign minister; Dionisio Marenco, Managua mayor from 2004 to 2008, fell out of favor after criticizing the government and Murillo, who \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/es-us.noticias.yahoo.com\/muere-exalcalde-managua-enfrent%C3%B3-esposa-040056682.html\"\u003Ecalled him a \u201ctraitor\u201d\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EA slate of \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202311\/centroamerica\/27142\/%E2%80%9CThere-can-be-no-democratic-transition-in-Nicaragua-without-justice%E2%80%9D.htm\"\u003Eold-guard Sandinista revolutionaries\u003C\/a\u003E splintered in the mid-90s to form the MRS, disgruntled by Ortega\u2019s authoritarian arc. Starting in 2018, many of them were exiled or imprisoned for up to two years, \u003Cstrong\u003Ebaselessly accused of abetting an alleged U.S.-sponsored coup effort, and stripped in February 2023 of their citizenship\u003C\/strong\u003E and properties. Former guerrilla commander Hugo Torres, who in 1974 freed Ortega from a Somoza detention center, was one of them. He \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202202\/centroamerica\/26031\/putins-central-american-ally\"\u003Edied in prison\u003C\/a\u003E in February 2022.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EIn recent years outer-orbit officials have also defected, like Ambassador to the OAS \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/mailchi.mp\/elfaro.net\/nicaragua-ambassador-live-resignation?e=3e101df639\"\u003EArthur McFields\u003C\/a\u003E in March 2022, or been removed. Werner Vargas, appointed by Ortega in early 2023 to lead the Central American Integration System (SICA), publicly announced his resignation just months later, last November, as other \u003Cstrong\u003ECentral American nations denounced an effort by Nicaragua to \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=8RCK6e1qvrs\"\u003Estack the regional institution\u003C\/a\u003E with political loyalists\u003C\/strong\u003E and as Ortega called to \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202305\/centroamerica\/26813\/where-does-central-america-fit-in-a-multipolar-world\"\u003Ereplace SICA observer state Taiwan\u003C\/a\u003E with Russia and China.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EFor the second time in Nicaragua\u2019s turn at the helm (2021-2025), the multilateral has spent the last six months without a secretary-general.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EBut the most brazen purge in recent years began last October, when the regime removed 10 percent of \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/english.elpais.com\/international\/2023-11-16\/rosario-murillo-carries-out-great-purge-in-nicaraguas-judiciary-dismissing-over-900-people.html\"\u003Eall Judicial Branch employees\u003C\/a\u003E, most notably Supreme Court President Alba Luz Ramos, a longtime Sandinista loyalist disliked by Murillo, citing alleged administrative offenses related to public contracting.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EManagua Appellate \u003Cstrong\u003EJudge Martha Quezada \u2014who in 1998 dismissed charges against Ortega of sexually assaulting\u003C\/strong\u003E his now-exiled step-daughter Zoilam\u00e9rica Ortega Murillo\u2014 was also caught in the dismissal dragnet.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E    \u003Cfigure class=\"pict pict_land pict_move_posc 0 cs_img cs_img--curr rule--ss_c\" data-shot=\"pict\" data-hint=\"pict\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"pict__pobj text-overflow\"\u003E\u003Cimg src=https:\/\/elfaro.net\/get_img?ImageWidth=4000&ImageHeight=2811&ImageId=40563 class=\"pobj\" style=\"max-width: 100%\" rel=\"resizable\" alt=\"Alba Luz Ramos, president of the Nicaraguan Supreme Court, speaks with President Enrique Bola\u00f1os on Sep. 5, 2003. The head of state had just given a speech commemmorating the twenty-fourth anniversary of the Nicaraguan National Police and severely criticizing the actions of the Judicial Branch. Photo Miguel \u00c1lvarez\/AFP\" \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E \u003Cfigcaption class=\"pict__text cs_img_caption folk_content typo_buttons line--ss_s0c line--ss_s0c--auto block full-width text-overflow rule--ss_l relative\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"__content block-inline full-width align-top tint-text--idle relative\"\u003E Alba Luz Ramos, president of the Nicaraguan Supreme Court, speaks with President Enrique Bola\u00f1os on Sep. 5, 2003. The head of state had just given a speech commemmorating the twenty-fourth anniversary of the Nicaraguan National Police and severely criticizing the actions of the Judicial Branch. Photo Miguel \u00c1lvarez\/AFP \u003Cdiv class=\"photographer text_italic rule--ss_l tint-text--idle\"\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/figcaption\u003E \u003C\/figure\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EVice President Rosario Murillo and a spokeswoman did not respond to an email and text messages from El Faro English seeking comment on the decisions outlined in this article and the vice-head of state\u2019s role in them.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECarrot, but mostly stick\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003ELegal analysts have described the October firings as a \u201ccoup\u201d \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/politica\/rosario-murillo-se-toma-el-control-total-de-la-corte-suprema-de-justicia\/\"\u003Eorchestrated by Murillo\u003C\/a\u003E, similar to the removal of the Salvadoran Constitutional Chamber by Nayib Bukele in May 2021 and the \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/mailchi.mp\/elfaro.net\/elfaro-english-bukele-purges-judiciary-6213388?e=3e101df639\"\u003Eforced retirement in September 2022\u003C\/a\u003E of one-third of all judges.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EBut unlike in El Salvador, where the high-court magistrates were replaced overnight, in Nicaragua\u003Cstrong\u003E 10 of the 16 Supreme Court seats have been \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/politica\/magistrados-vacantes-en-la-corte-suprema-de-justicia-de-nicaragua\/\"\u003Eleft vacant\u003C\/a\u003E, including the presidency.\u003C\/strong\u003E Some have passed away and others have been removed or left for exile.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EFormer Supreme Court President Ramos has recently been allowed to leave home in Nicaragua but is under constant surveillance, a source with contacts in the judiciary told El Faro English.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EThe government has also slashed the \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/politica\/presupuesto-de-2024-refleja-la-barrida-en-el-poder-judicial\/\"\u003EJudicial Branch\u2019s budget\u003C\/a\u003E (including 80 percent cuts to \u201cpermanent salaries\u201d and 66 percent from the Supreme Court\u2019s earmark), stripped it of oversight of the national property registry, and diverted control of the voluntary judicial pension fund to the Nicaraguan Social Security Institute.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u201cOver the years Rosario has tried to bring the Judicial Branch under her control,\u201d the source said. \u201cThey made it look like [Ramos was removed] due to corrupt management, but deep down it was political. There is now a vacancy, and she\u003Cstrong\u003E [Murillo] could try to take control of the presidency [of the Supreme Court], as she has done in Congress.\u201d\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EFar from a rock in their shoe, the judiciary has enabled Ortega and Murillo\u2019s total control of Nicaragua: The courts permitted indefinite reelection since the 2011 race; the ban of public demonstrations since 2018, mass confiscation of properties, and cancellation of two-thirds of the country\u2019s NGOs, 28 universities, and some 50 news outlets; and the denaturalization in 2023 of dozens of citizens despite constitutional protections against statelessness.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E    \u003Cfigure class=\"pict pict_land pict_move_posc 0 cs_img cs_img--curr rule--ss_c\" data-shot=\"pict\" data-hint=\"pict\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"pict__pobj text-overflow\"\u003E\u003Cimg src=https:\/\/elfaro.net\/get_img?ImageWidth=4000&ImageHeight=2665&ImageId=40562 class=\"pobj\" style=\"max-width: 100%\" rel=\"resizable\" alt=\"The son of Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega, Laureano Ortega, attends a ceremony in which the country received 250 buses from China in Managua on November 17, 2023. Photo Jairo CAJINA\/Nicaraguan Presidency\/AFP\" \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E \u003Cfigcaption class=\"pict__text cs_img_caption folk_content typo_buttons line--ss_s0c line--ss_s0c--auto block full-width text-overflow rule--ss_l relative\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"__content block-inline full-width align-top tint-text--idle relative\"\u003E The son of Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega, Laureano Ortega, attends a ceremony in which the country received 250 buses from China in Managua on November 17, 2023. Photo Jairo CAJINA\/Nicaraguan Presidency\/AFP \u003Cdiv class=\"photographer text_italic rule--ss_l tint-text--idle\"\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/figcaption\u003E \u003C\/figure\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u201cThis is a regime imposed by terror, so \u003Cstrong\u003Ethey have no certainty of whether the people surrounding them really are committed,\u201d\u003C\/strong\u003E adds the former legislator Dub\u00f3n. \u201cWhat really matters [to the government] is personal commitment,\u201d not political belief. \u201cBut this requires total subordination, and in that sense nobody can make that commitment. In reality, [Ortega and Murillo\u2019s] fear is legitimate.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003ESince 2021, the \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.infobae.com\/america\/america-latina\/2021\/12\/05\/prohibido-viajar-daniel-ortega-convierte-a-nicaragua-en-una-jaula-para-sus-funcionarios-por-temor-a-que-den-informacion-a-estados-unidos\/\"\u003Eregime has stripped\u003C\/a\u003E the passports of former Supreme Court President Ramos and other officials who have fallen from grace, even touching former top officials from the military, a central plank of the regime; at the head of the Army are 20 loyal generals who have prevented most ascensions for over a decade.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt seems fitting that General Julio C\u00e9sar Avil\u00e9s, \u003Cstrong\u003Ehead of the Armed Forces since 2007, could seek a fourth five-year term in 2025,\u003C\/strong\u003E despite the fact that the Organic Law of the Army provides for one-term alternation of military power. Designed in part by Humberto Ortega, for years Army law was considered a democratic notch in the Sandinista belt.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Chr \/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #888888;\"\u003EThis article first appeared in the May 28 edition of the El Faro English newsletter.\u003C\/span\u003E \u003Ca href=\"\/suscribe\/en\/\"\u003ESubscribe here\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #888888;\"\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E"}

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