{"id":173664,"date":"2025-08-31T00:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-31T06:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/sin-categoria\/rosario-murillos-great-political-purge-in-nicaragua\/"},"modified":"2025-09-01T09:04:42","modified_gmt":"2025-09-01T15:04:42","slug":"rosario-murillos-great-political-purge-in-nicaragua","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/en\/policy\/rosario-murillos-great-political-purge-in-nicaragua\/","title":{"rendered":"Rosario Murillo\u2019s \u201cGreat Political Purge\u201d in Nicaragua"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Since Daniel Ortega\u2019s return to power in 2007, Rosario Murillo has overseen a continuous \u201cpolitical decapitation\u201d of figures close to and loyal to Ortega, consolidating her own influence within the inner circle of power<\/strong>. Murillo\u2019s political purge intensified after she became vice president, and by 2025, upon taking the role of \u201cco-president,\u201d it shows no signs of stopping\u2014appearing more ruthless than ever in a scenario where \u201canyone can fall under Murillo\u2019s guillotine.\u201d<\/a> <\/p>\n\n

In this purge, historical loyalty counts for nothing, and not even Ortega\u2019s closest allies\u2014or his family\u2014are safe. Murillo\u2019s consolidation of dynastic power, combined with Ortega\u2019s declining health, fuels an authoritarian radicalization based on paranoia and the urgent need to place loyalists to her, rather than to Ortega. <\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n

At CONFIDENCIAL<\/strong>, we highlight the most prominent cases of those who have fallen under Murillo\u2019s \u201cguillotine,\u201d affecting high-profile figures in the party, the state, the police, and the military.<\/p>\n\n

Illustration: CONFIDENCIAL, inspired by Squid Game, animated with AI assistance.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n
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The First to Fall<\/h2>\n\n

Since Daniel Ortega\u2019s return to power in Nicaragua in January 2007, Rosario Murillo initiated the political decapitation of Ortega\u2019s closest and most loyal cadres, replacing them with her own political influence within the inner circle of power.<\/em><\/p>\n\n

Dionisio \u201cNicho\u201d Marenco<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n
\"Dionisio
Daniel Ortega and Dionisio Marenco embrace during an event celebrating the anniversary of the revolution against the Somoza dictatorship, July 19, 2006. \/\/ Photo: La Prensa <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

One of the first \u201cdecapitations\u201d was Dionisio \u201cNicho\u201d Marenco, the negotiator of Daniel Ortega\u2019s pact with Arnoldo Alem\u00e1n, about which he said in an August 2008 interview with La Prensa<\/em>: \u201cIf it weren\u2019t for that pact, the Sandinista Front would never have won the elections.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n

The former mayor of Managua (2004\u20132008) also played a key role in opening economic relations with Hugo Ch\u00e1vez\u2019s Venezuela and managing its multi-million-dollar cooperation, which Ortega and Murillo handled through private channels, becoming, until 2014, the dictatorship\u2019s main source of funding.<\/p>\n\n

Marenco was abruptly removed from the new regime\u2019s inner circle in early 2007. In November of that year, he publicly clashed with Murillo, who accused him of being a \u201ctraitor\u201d for criticizing the management of the FSLN. \u201cRosario Murillo accused me of being a traitor, and betrayals in the FSLN are like death sentences,\u201d <\/em>Marenco said. <\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n

At one point he was considered a potential presidential candidate<\/a>, but he withdrew from public life in 2009 after finishing his term as mayor of Managua. He died at 73<\/a> on May 19, 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n\n

Lenin Cerna<\/strong> Ju\u00e1rez<\/h2>\n\n
\"Lenin
Cerna was Daniel Ortega\u2019s cellmate in the 1970s and head of the feared Directorate General of State Security (DGSE) in the 1980s. \/\/ Photo: CCC <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

In April 2011, it was the turn of powerful retired Colonel Lenin Cerna, former head of the Directorate General of State Security in the 1980s and FSLN organizational secretary since 1999.<\/p>\n\n

Cerna was removed from his position and expelled from the FSLN secretariat on Murillo\u2019s orders. He fell out of favor due to his involvement in the so-called \u201cWaltergate,\u201d<\/em> a corruption scandal in the General Directorate of Revenue, which also cost the position of its head, Walter Porras. <\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n

Cerna returned to Ortega\u2019s fold after the April Rebellion of 2018<\/a> and, in July 2019, joined an intelligence team serving Ortega, though Murillo had already sidelined him from the circle of influence and power.<\/p>\n\n

In late July 2025, several media outlets reported that Cerna had escaped a police raid at his home. However, sources linked to the police denied the \u201cescape\u201d story to CONFIDENCIAL<\/strong>,<\/a> and the retired colonel was seen driving through Managua on August 10 in a blue Mercedes-Benz, driven by a police officer and escorted by a police vehicle. <\/p>\n\n

One of Cerna\u2019s main lieutenants, retired Colonel Rodolfo Castillo \u201cPay\u00edn,<\/a>\u201d was captured by the police on August 1 during Managua\u2019s equestrian festival and, since Monday, August 25, has been under house arrest with police surveillance, subject to an official investigation by the newly renamed Attorney General\u2019s Office. <\/p>\n\n

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The Purge Deepens<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

In 2016, Murillo became Ortega\u2019s vice president, positioning herself in the constitutional line of succession. Five years later, in 2021, both declared themselves re-elected after nullifying political and electoral competition, and Murillo continued the dynastic succession by de facto means. <\/em><\/p>\n\n

Adolfo Marenco<\/strong> Corea<\/h2>\n\n
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Rosario Murillo greets Adolfo Marenco at an event in October 2019. General Commissioner Ram\u00f3n Avell\u00e1n looks on. \/\/ Photo: CCC <\/p>

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Daniel Ortega after greeting Adolfo Marenco at an event honoring Benjam\u00edn Zeled\u00f3n in October 2019. \/\/ Photo: CCC <\/p>

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General Commissioner Adolfo Marenco Corea was dismissed by Ortega as director of research and intelligence for the National Police in November 2022. Two days earlier, Ortega had appointed Zhukov Serrano P\u00e9rez as the new deputy director of the National Police, in charge of espionage, publicly highlighting his studies in Russia. In January 2023, it was confirmed that Marenco had been imprisoned in El Chipote<\/a> and later placed under house arrest. <\/p>\n\n

Marenco, deputy director of the police and head of research and intelligence, carried out espionage tasks in service of the dictatorship, considered \u201cthe eyes and ears of the police state,\u201d<\/a> according to a CONFIDENCIAL<\/strong> profile published in March 2020. <\/p>\n\n

The former member of Murillo\u2019s inner circle and of security advisor N\u00e9stor Moncada Lau was the first high-level official to be removed from his post and imprisoned, almost 50 days after the announcement of his dismissal.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n

Marenco was placed under house arrest after falling out of favor, supposedly due to corruption allegations and unauthorized private business dealings involving a faction of the regime\u2019s leadership. Within police circles, two versions circulated regarding his imprisonment: one, that it was to silence him because he intended to flee the country; the other, that he had refused to continue working for the Ortega-Murillo duo, further angering them. <\/p>\n\n

Omar Halleslevens<\/strong> Acevedo<\/h2>\n\n
\"Omar
Omar Halleslevens y Daniel Ortega se saludan, el 4 de octubre de 2019. \/\/ Foto: CCC <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Retired Army General Omar Halleslevens Acevedo<\/a>, also Ortega\u2019s vice president between 2012 and 2016, was removed from his former offices on Murillo\u2019s orders in May 2023.<\/a> In January 2017, when Murillo assumed the vice presidency\u2014after elections with no political competition and following the previous year\u2019s electoral fraud\u2014the former army chief accepted the appointment of \u201cminister delegate for specific affairs,\u201d directly overseeing the Nicaraguan Council of Science and Technology (Conicyt). <\/p>\n\n

Despite being replaced as vice president, Halleslevens remained in charge of the Vice Presidency and Conicyt offices between 2017 and 2022, initially overseeing a staff of more than 50 employees.<\/p>\n\n

In August 2022, Halleslevens was simultaneously appointed head of the Nicaraguan Commission of Atomic Energy for Peaceful Purposes, as the regime courted Russia and Iran, projecting the image of the leader\u2019s son, Laureano Ortega Murillo, who appeared as the main figure in the agreements. The former military chief simply \u201cdisappeared.\u201d Eventually, Conicyt was abolished after 25 years of existence, in November 2022. <\/p>\n\n

Halleslevens\u2019 relationship with the vice president deteriorated to the point that Murillo ordered in December 2022 that no Christmas basket be delivered to the staff of his office, nor bonuses to the lowest-paid employees. In February 2023, Murillo ordered the evacuation of the Vice Presidency offices where Halleslevens was stationed\u2014a building she herself never visited. <\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n

One account of the final trigger for his ousting links it to Halleslevens\u2019 outreach to retired General Humberto Ortega Saavedra, the dictator\u2019s brother, after the latter met with Daniel Ortega in December 2022.<\/p>\n\n

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The Sweep in the Court<\/h2>\n\n

What happened in the judiciary in 2023 was a full-scale sweep. The Supreme Court of Justice (CSJ) was practically dismantled<\/a>. More than 1,000 officials and public employees\u2014including judges and magistrates who served the dictatorship\u2014were dismissed, sometimes via WhatsApp,<\/a> SMS, or email, without severance and in violation of their civil and labor rights. Departments and offices were paralyzed or transferred to the newly renamed Attorney General\u2019s Office<\/a>, and the dismissals have not ceased.<\/a> <\/em><\/p>\n\n

Alba Luz Ramos<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n
\"Alba
Alba Luz Ramos and Daniel Ortega greet each other when the magistrate and president of the CSJ still had a place at the central table. \/\/ Photo: CCC <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

In October 2023, the Supreme Court \u201cshook.\u201d A group of police led by \u201cadvisory minister\u201d Horacio Rocha removed CSJ President Alba Luz Ramos from her office and sent her home.<\/a> Witnesses reported that she left visibly upset, claiming she was being \u201cviolated.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

\u201cThe de facto suspension of Dr. Alba Luz Ramos evidences Rosario Murillo\u2019s takeover of the judiciary,\u201d a source linked to the Supreme Court told CONFIDENCIAL<\/strong> in October 2023.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n

In the following days, the same happened to Magistrate Yadira Centeno, president of the Civil and Family Chamber, and the purge continued with other magistrates and officials in the still-called judiciary, affecting over a thousand public employees.<\/p>\n\n

Several of Murillo\u2019s fiefdoms\u2014such as public registries and arbitration and mediation offices\u2014were transferred to the Attorney General\u2019s Office. The purge extended so widely that in January 2025, judges and magistrates who had acted as enforcers of the dictatorship<\/a>\u2014sentencing political prisoners in sham trials or issuing rulings of denationalization and asset confiscation\u2014were also removed. <\/p>\n\n

The ruins seem to matter little to the leadership. Almost two years later, Ortega loyalist magistrate Marvin Aguilar remains only as \u201cacting magistrate president\u201d in a hollowed-out CSJ. <\/p>\n\n

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The Purge Reaches the Family<\/h2>\n\n
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Humberto Ortega<\/strong> Saavedra<\/h2>\n\n

Humberto Ortega Saavedra<\/a>, retired army general and brother of the dictator, died in the early hours of September 30, 2024, after being under house arrest since May 19 and in total isolation since June 11, by orders of Ortega and Murillo.<\/p>\n\n

On June 9, three weeks after being placed under house arrest, the retired general recorded an audio message<\/a> in a call to CONFIDENCIAL<\/strong> from a cell phone he had hidden at home, after police confiscated all his communication devices during the May raid. In the full message, preserved by the outlet per his wishes, he declared himself a \u201cpolitical prisoner,\u201d denounced his state of isolation, worsening health, and demanded his freedom. <\/p>\n\n

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