Nicaragua to close Red Cross offices in latest crackdown on civic groups

An injured demonstrator receives first aid after being injured by a shotgun blast during clashes with the police, as he was protesting against Nicaragua’s President Daniel Ortega, in Managua, Nicaragua, May 28, 2018. Nicaragua’s parliament closed the Nicaraguan Red Cross on Wednesday, May 10, 2023 (Esteban Felix/AP/PA)

Nicaragua has passed a law to close the country’s Red Cross, in a crackdown that has seen the government shut down religious orders, charities and civic groups.

The legislature voted to close the Nicaraguan Red Cross, accusing it of “attacks on peace and stability” during anti-government demonstrations in 2018. The local Red Cross says it just helped treat injured protesters during the demonstrations.