 "Nicaragua arrests at least 60 for celebrating Maduro's capture by US")
Amid the brewing tensions in Latin America, authorities in Nicaragua have arrested at least 60 people who were reportedly celebrating or expressing support for the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by the US forces. It is pertinent to know that Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, are staunch allies of Maduro.
Since the arrest of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, “at least 60 arbitrary arrests” have occurred over alleged support for the operation, the NGO Blue and White Monitoring, which compiles reports of human rights violations in Nicaragua, said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The group noted that 49 people remained detained on Friday “without information about their legal status,” while nine people have been released, and three others were temporarily detained. “This new wave of repression is carried out without a judicial order and is based solely on expressions of opinion: comments on social media, private celebrations, or not repeating official propaganda,” the group averred.
Maduro and his wife were captured in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, earlier this year. The couple were then taken to New York to face trial on drug and weapon charges. Amid this, US President Donald Trump took charge of the Venezuelan oil reserves, finding ways to benefit from them.
Nicaragua on alert
According to Confidencial, a Nicaraguan newspaper published outside the country, the arrests took place under a “state alert”, which was ordered by Murillo, right after Maduro was captured. The alert emboldened the authorities to have surveillance in neighbourhoods and on social media.
Meanwhile, La Prensa, another local newspaper, said the arrests occurred due to “posts in favour” of the US operation. It is important to note that the detention came a day after Trump claimed that he cancelled a second wave of attacks on Venezuela because it was cooperating with the US on oil infrastructure and had released political prisoners.
The US President maintained that he had cancelled planned military action in recognition that the authorities in Caracas had released “large numbers” of prisoners and were “seeking peace”. However, Trump did not elaborate on what the alleged plan was but said that the US Navy armada in the Caribbean would remain, leaving Washington with the ability to attack Venezuela at short notice.
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