Q&A: A “Sign of Weakness” in Nicaragua’s Prisoner Release
By
Rich Brown
President Daniel Ortega’s wave of incarcerations may have unified the opposition.
The release and deportation of 222 political prisoners on February 9 was a watershed moment for Nicaragua. It came after years of escalating repression, which fragmented the opposition and disrupted its organizing. But widespread jailings may have had an unintended consequence for the government: unprecedented unity in the opposition. Suyén Barahona, the leader of the Unamos opposition party, was one of those released. She had spent a year and eight months in the notorious El Chipote prison, after she was arrested—along with other politicians as well as journalists, business leaders,...
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