{"id":185637,"date":"2026-03-23T01:15:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-23T07:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/sin-categoria\/public-employees-in-nicaragua-feel-like-hostages-they-treat-us-like-traitors\/"},"modified":"2026-03-26T16:04:58","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T22:04:58","slug":"public-employees-in-nicaragua-feel-like-hostages-they-treat-us-like-traitors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/en\/english\/public-employees-in-nicaragua-feel-like-hostages-they-treat-us-like-traitors\/","title":{"rendered":"Public Employees in Nicaragua Feel Like Hostages: \u201cThey Treat Us Like Traitors\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

With five weeks to go before a close relative\u2019s wedding, Jorge<\/em> went to his boss\u2019s office to ask for time off, even though he already knew the answer. His hands were sweating. \u201cDon\u2019t do it, because you could get into a lot of trouble,\u201d they advised him. He had already received that warning on another occasion, when he had also requested time off to visit his family in the United States. <\/p>\n\n

Jorge<\/em> is a doctor and has worked for the Ministry of Health (Minsa) for over ten years. He considers himself a \u201chostage\u201d of the dictatorship of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo. The Nicaraguan government has intensified repressive measures against public employees in recent years: mass layoffs, cutbacks in severance pay, surveillance, mandatory forms declaring assets, forced participation in FSLN party events, and denials of travel outside Nicaragua. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cThey haven\u2019t let me leave; they make it clear to me that they think I\u2019m going to stay outside the country,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n

Jorge\u2019s<\/em> niece was born three years ago, but he only knows her through video calls. \u201cMy sister doesn\u2019t want to come to the country either, because she\u2019s afraid,\u201d Jorge<\/em> explains. <\/p>\n\n

The regime\u2019s paranoia grows and grows<\/h2>\n\n

Although Jorge<\/em> has thought about resigning several times, he holds back for fear of reprisals against his family. \u201cI have people close to me working for the government, and I think that if I leave, they would pay the price,\u201d he notes. <\/p>\n\n

He recalls receiving several warnings because he was slow to complete the financial disclosure<\/a> form that was required of him. \u201cIt\u2019s pretty invasive, because I also have to provide information about my wife and children,\u201d he states. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a way of controlling us by letting us know that if we do something they don\u2019t like, they can strip us of everything,\u201d the doctor affirms.<\/p>\n\n

The regime\u2019s paranoia toward public servants strikes him as \u201cfrightening\u201d because they have fired and punished many, including some who \u201cseemed the most loyal.\u201d \u201cThey now treat us as if everyone working within the state apparatus are traitors,\u201d he declares. <\/p>\n\n

\"\"
Illustration: Confidencial <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Jorge\u2019s<\/em> experience is not an isolated one. Many of his colleagues have tried to apply for permits to travel abroad\u2014whether to visit friends, family, attend medical conferences, or as tourists\u2014and in most cases the response is the same: \u201cNot allowed.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

\u201cI have a colleague who had to send a letter explaining where he was going, how long he\u2019d be gone, the reasons, and answering many personal questions, but the response never came,\u201d he recalls. <\/p>\n\n

This doctor notes that it is \u201csad\u201d to prevent people from traveling. \u201cYou feel like a prisoner at the mercy of someone you don\u2019t even know\u2014who decides whether or not you can leave,\u201d he laments. <\/p>\n\n

Blocked from traveling but never told why<\/h2>\n\n

Ministry of Education personnel in Nicaragua share the doctor\u2019s feeling of being held \u201chostage.\u201d Maribel<\/em> is a teacher at a school in the south part of the country; and the last time she was able to leave the country was in 2022. \u201cRight after they reluctantly allowed me to leave, they began repeatedly telling me no way I could leave again,\u201d she explains. <\/p>\n\n

On that occasion, she traveled to Costa Rica to visit friends and family who had been living in the neighboring country for years. \u201cSince the majority of the Nicaraguan exiles went to Costa Rica, they consider it suspect that someone would want to travel there, even though I used to go every year,\u201d she maintains. <\/p>\n\n

The criteria for authorizing or denying travel are unknown to public employees. Most, like Maribel<\/em>, believe it\u2019s arbitrary. \u201cI can\u2019t find a logical explanation; I suppose insisting just makes you look bad, and makes them see you as a suspicious person,\u201d she comments. <\/p>\n\n

\"\"
The blurring of lines between state and FSLN party is evident in Nicaraguan schools. Photo: Taken from the Ministry of Education\u2019s social media. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

\u201cI know a colleague from the same school where I work who packed her bags and tried to leave, but when she arrived at the airport, they told her she couldn\u2019t board, and they took her passport away,\u201d she states. <\/p>\n\n

At first, the travel bans were for \u201chigh-ranking officials,\u201d Maribel<\/em> recalls. \u201cBut now it\u2019s a law that applies equally to everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

\u201cThere are very few privileged people now, because the \u2018godfathers\u2019 in high-level positions no longer risk interceding on anyone\u2019s behalf, much less for a trip outside the country,\u201d Maribel<\/em> adds.<\/p>\n\n

Fired for \u201ctalking\u201d<\/h2>\n\n

Joaquin<\/em> is a specialist at a Managua hospital. He says he has seen many colleagues laid off, including some who were \u201cthe only specialists\u201d in certain areas of healthcare in the country. \u201cThere\u2019s no policy aimed at retaining those staff with the most extensive experience and expertise,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n\n

This man, who has worked in the public health system for over two decades, says the worst period was during the COVID-19 pandemic<\/a>. \u201cI believe Nicaragua is the only country in the world that \u2013 in addition to failing to implement prevention protocols \u2013 had the audacity to fire medical staff simply because many dared to speak out about the lack of protective equipment,\u201d he declares. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cMany people were fired simply for speaking out, for giving their medical opinion, because the government never admitted the number of deaths, even though burial processions to the cemeteries were a daily occurrence,\u201d Joaquin<\/em> says.<\/p>\n\n

However, the unjustified dismissals began as early as 2018. The doctor recalls that many were fired for treating the wounded during government-led armed attacks against protesters. \u201cFrom that point on, we began to put up with surveillance from within the hospitals themselves,\u201d he notes. <\/p>\n\n

Ever since he began working in the healthcare system, Joaqu\u00edn<\/em> has observed the Ortega-Murillo regime\u2019s political \u201cmanipulation\u201d of workers. \u201cThey force us to participate in political events or bizarre spectacles, like when they dragged us into the streets for a demonstration that practically welcomed the COVID-19 pandemic<\/a>,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n\n

The excuse of \u201corders from above\u201d<\/h2>\n\n

Joaquin<\/em> says that in all the public hospitals across the country\u2014and, in general, in all state institutions\u2014there are \u201cpolitical appointees.\u201d \u201cWe have our supervisors, but there\u2019s also an entire surveillance system in place to monitor what we say, whether we complain, and even our social media activity,\u201d he laments. <\/p>\n\n

He asserts that most \u201cabuses\u201d come as \u201corders from above.\u201d The workers, believe these are directives partially from Daniel Ortega, but principally from Rosario Murillo, who \u201cis the one who controls the workers.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

\"\"
Healthcare workers in Nicaragua are obligated to participate in activities supporting the FSLN. Photo: CCC <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

\u201cIn no public institution can decisions be made without the approval of the governing Sandinista National Liberation Front Party. There\u2019s a huge barrier between public officials and those who make decisions,\u201d explains the doctor. <\/p>\n\n

Joaqu\u00edn<\/em> believes that sometimes the answer of, \u201corders from above\u201d is an excuse used by the political representatives, \u201cwho don\u2019t want to work harder than necessary, and don\u2019t convey our requests to anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Doctors and teachers deeply affected by the internal repression<\/h2>\n\n

Elvira Cuadra, a sociologist and director of the Center for Transdisciplinary Studies of Central America, explains that from 2018 to the present, state officials \u201chave been subject to orders that restrict their right to mobility, for no reason.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

\u201cThere is ample evidence of public officials having their passports confiscated and being barred from leaving the country. We have learned of many who they put on hold, waiting for travel permission that never comes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Since 2021, Cuadra sees the situation as critical. This is particularly true for workers in the health and education sectors, because \u201cmembers of these two sectors often need to participate in professional activities (abroad) but are prevented from leaving Nicaragua.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

Public health specialist Ana Quiros argues that the Ortega-Murillo regime has turned the country into \u201ca giant prison,\u201d particularly for teachers and medical staff, the two sectors that employ the largest number of state workers.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cWe have been informed that an active surveillance system is in place, and in every workplace there are one or two people tasked with reporting daily on what public employees say or fail to say,\u201d she notes. <\/p>\n\n

Quir\u00f3s, who was banished from Nicaragua in 2018 for participating in the demonstrations that marked the April Rebellion, feels that workers are being held captive by the Ortega-Murillo regime, because \u201cthey cannot participate in anything that is not organized by [the government].\u201d<\/p>\n\n

The situation for public employees has been \u201cdeteriorating,\u201d but \u201cmany who have left did so knowing that the price was not being able to return,\u201d says Ernesto Medina, an education specialist and former rector of the American University (UAM) and UNAN-Leon.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cOne of the things that makes a career in teaching or in the academic sector of health care appealing is precisely the opportunity to travel, participate in conferences, engage with colleagues to learn about new developments, and discuss topics of scientific interest. Obviously, by closing off that possibility, they\u2019re doing great damage to these people\u2019s professional level,\u201d Medina indicates.<\/p>\n\n

An answer that never came<\/h2>\n\n

Rigoberta<\/em>, an educator for several decades, says she went through a nightmare trying to get her passport. \u201cThey made me go to the immigration offices several times, but they never gave me an answer,\u201d she says. Finally, after three visits, they issued it to her. <\/p>\n\n

She applied for it because her daughter\u2019s husband had invited her to spend some time with them in Europe. Excited, she decided to request permission for the trip, but a superior warned her that \u201cit would put me on a blacklist.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

\u201cA couple of years ago I was able to go on a trip, although I had to provide all the details of where I was going and who I would be meeting with (\u2026) and I suppose going again would be frowned upon,\u201d she indicates. <\/p>\n\n

\"\"
Illustration: Confidencial <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Despite her fears, Rigoberta<\/em> made an attempt to request permission. Nine months have now passed. The proposed trip would have been over several months ago, but permission\u2014or even a denial\u2014never reached her. Nor did they give her a passport. \u201cIt\u2019s as if you sent a letter and it never reached the person who was supposed to see it,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cThe worst part of not getting a response is that you feel like it means you can never ask for permission again, because the request wasn\u2019t well received (\u2026) at least that\u2019s what I think after being left waiting,\u201d Rigoberta<\/em> says.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cWanting to leave Nicaragua could cost you your job\u201d<\/h2>\n\n

A CONFIDENCIAL report published in 2023<\/a><\/em> revealed that permits to travel abroad were \u201cselective,\u201d while most people were barred from doing so. Today the situation has worsened, says Maritza, a doctor who\u2019s been employed at a Nicaraguan hospital for over 15 years. <\/p>\n\n

Aunque hace un tiempo pudo especializarse y tener formaci\u00f3n en el extranjero dice que eso \u201ces cosa del pasado\u201d. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cI was looking forward to attending a medical conference abroad, but when I asked for permission, they immediately told me it would be difficult\u2014though they said they would try to arrange for me to go,\u201d he explains. <\/p>\n\n

Her boss forced her to provide all the details about the trip, the length of her stay, and the destination. \u201cThey even asked me to provide information about who told me about that event and why I was interested in participating,\u201d says Maritza<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cIn a way, it was so much information that it frightened me, because I thought that wanting to leave Nicaragua could cost me my job\u2014or worse, that they wouldn\u2019t let me return,\u201d she admits. <\/p>\n\n

Since April 20, 2024<\/a>, the Ministry of Health (Minsa) announced that it would require pharmaceutical distributors, laboratories, and medical equipment companies that organize training and conferences with public or private health personnel to request authorization 30 days in advance.<\/p>\n\n

Among the activities to be controlled, Minsa includes \u201ctrainings, product launches, conferences and scientific-technical activities, national and international congresses, and any other product promotion.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Maritza<\/em> describes the fact that doctors are no longer receiving updated training abroad as \u201cterrible\u201d. \u201cNot even the Ministry of Health itself is sending doctors anywhere for further training,\u201d she confesses. <\/p>\n\n

A few days later, she wrote a new letter withdrawing her request for permission, citing family reasons. \u201cI didn\u2019t want to continue, because I was terrified,\u201d she insists. <\/p>\n\n

Five years of losing teachers and health care workers with no growth<\/h2>\n\n

Nicaragua has lost 4,504 teachers between 2018 and January 2026, according to central government employment figures published by the Central Bank of Nicaragua (BCN).<\/a><\/p>\n\n

According to these statistics, the public education system began 2026 with 48,288 teachers, which is 188 fewer than in December 2025, when the country ended the year with 48,476 teachers nationwide.<\/p>\n\n

Nicaragua cada vez tiene menos maestros<\/h2>

La cifra del personal docente de Nicaragua ha ca\u00eddo durante los \u00faltimos a\u00f1os. Presiones, espionaje y adoctrinamiento los obligan a renunciar. Otros m\u00e1s han sido despedidos.<\/p><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n

And when it comes to healthcare personnel, including nurses and midwives, Nicaragua is one of the three countries in the Americas with the fewest staff members, according to the World Health Organization. <\/a> <\/p>\n\n

Over the past ten years, from 2016 to January 2026, the average number of healthcare workers has increased by only 2,025 people, according to official figures from the BCN.<\/p>\n\n

While the annual average number of healthcare workers hired in the public sector was 19,051 in 2016, the average as of January 2026 had risen only slightly to 21,076. <\/p>\n\n

Personal m\u00e9dico de Nicaragua lleva diez a\u00f1os estancado<\/h2>

Desde 2016, las cifras de trabajadores del sistema de Salud Nicaragua se han mantenido practicamente iguales. Mes a mes las cifras var\u00edan por los despidos y renuncias constantes.<\/p><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n

An analysis of official statistics reveals that, although the number of personnel has increased, it has fluctuated, with declines in years such as 2020, 2023, 2024, and 2025, when the annual average of health workers decreased compared to the previous year. <\/p>\n\n

This drop in hiring in both sectors, according to Elvira Cuadra, is due to \u201csurveillance, control, threats, and blackmail, particularly affecting teachers and health personnel, as many have decided to resign and seek other ways to survive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Vacant positions are not being replaced<\/h2>\n\n

\u201cAnother factor is that vacant positions are not being filled, and they are only bringing in people who are necessary for some reason; but most of those who are hired are chosen for their level of loyalty or subordination rather than their experience,\u201d the sociologist explains. <\/p>\n\n

Meanwhile, Ana Quiros points out that the regime itself has dismantled all the organizations that brought together doctors who ensured opportunities to specialize abroad. In the case of teachers, she denounces that \u201cthey are forced to teach and repeat the lies imposed in educational programs.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

\u201cEvery year, many people in the health and education sectors are trained in the country, but this is not reflected in hiring data. However, both patients and students are increasing, which means they must attend to more and more people,\u201d she notes. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cWhat the regime prefers is to hire younger personnel, more subject to pressure, instead of professionals with years of experience and greater judgment about their role in the country\u2019s development,\u201d Quiros adds. <\/p>\n\n

In that same vein, academic Ernesto Medina laments that workers with \u201cextensive experience\u201d are being lost while replacements are sought \u201cbased purely on political loyalty.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

\u201cIf there is any suspicion that a person does not sympathize with the regime or is not considered reliable according to their absurd criteria (\u2026) they have no opportunity to work either in the education system or in the health system,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n\n

Medina insists that \u201cthe vast majority of the people who have been brought into\u201d positions in Education and Health \u201care individuals who do not have the best training, were not the best students, and whose only merit is having shown unconditional loyalty to the regime.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With five weeks to go before a close relative\u2019s wedding, Jorge went to his boss\u2019s office to ask for time off, even though he already knew the answer. His hands were sweating. \u201cDon\u2019t do it, because you could get into a lot of trouble,\u201d they advised him. He had already received that warning on another […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":185443,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_eb_attr":"","_eb_data_table":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[15445],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-185637","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-english"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\u201cThey Treat Us Like Traitors\u201d: Public Employees Held \u201cHostage\u201d<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Public servants in the health and education sectors report that they are being denied travel permits, monitored, and required to show political loyalty\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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