LatinNews Daily - 23 November 2021

In brief: BCIE under pressure over assistance to Nicaragua

* A group of over 20 Nicaraguan opposition organisations including the main opposition groups Alianza Cívica por la Justicia y Democracia (ACJD) and Unidad Nacional Azul y Blanco (UNAB), have signed a letter urging the Central American development bank (BCIE) to condition its assistance to Nicaragua on respect for human rights. The letter urges the BCIE to condition future assistance on the “liberation of political prisoners, an immediate end of all repression against the media and citizens and the fulfilment of resolutions by the Organization of American States (OAS) which establish minimum conditions to hold free and democratic elections”, among other things. It follows mounting human rights concerns following the 7 November general election, which was criticised by the international community, including the OAS – this criticism led President Daniel Ortega’s government to announce it was leaving the OAS. According to a report published last month by investigative media Confidencial, the Nicaraguan government received over US$2.29bn from the BCIE between January 2017 and June 2021.