Ortega closes 17 more foreign NGOs in Nicaragua

Daniel Ortega’s Ministry of the Interior (Migob) canceled this Friday the legal status of 17 non-profit organizations of foreign origin (listed below) that supported humanitarian, cultural, health, access to basic services and other initiatives that benefited the most vulnerable populations of Nicaragua.

With the closing of these organizations, with no recourse for appeal, Ortega has already accumulated a total of 469 associations, foundations and non-profits canceled since November 2018 and of these 44 correspond to international organizations that have developed social projects for decades.

The elimination of legal status to operate has been based on not registering as “Foreign Agents” and allegedly violating the Law for the Regulation and Control of Non-Profit Organizations. The organizations shuttered are routinely accused of not filing their annual reports and reporting the current members of their boards. However, many have noted that for several years they have tried to file their reports but Migob refused to accept them.

Among the organizations canceled this Friday are eight from the United States, four from Spain, one from the Netherlands, Italy, England, the United Kingdom and Germany, respectively.

Migob Gives 72 hours to liquidate all assets

According to the Migob resolution, the organizations canceled this June 10th violated Nicaraguan law by not submitting their financial statements with a breakdown of income, expenses, trial balance, donations (origin, origin and final beneficiary).

“The 17 international organizations of other nationalities were given 72 hours, to turn in all documents related to the liquidation of any goods and assets, as well as accounting books (Diary and Ledger), book of minutes and book of registration of members,” states the resolution signed by Franya Urey Blandon, director of the Office of Registration and Control of Non-profit organizations.

The ongoing effort to eliminate most civil society organizations began in 2018 amid the armed repression ordered my Daniel Ortega to quash citizen protests.

The latest 17 non-profits eliminated by the Ortega-Murillo government:

1- Empowerment lnternational, INC, from the USA

2- Farmacéuticos Mundi, from Spain

3- Proyecto Minnesota-León, from the USA

4- Project Chacocente, USA, INC

5- Nicaraguan Humanitarian and Development Foundation, USA

6- Stichting SNV Nederlandse Ontwikkelings organisatie from the Netherlands

7- Nuevas Esperanzas UK

8- Casa del Tercer Mundo (DWH), from Germany

9- Terra Nuova, Italy

10- Christian Aid, from England

11- Asociación Médicos del Mundo, from Spain

12- Fundación el Sueño de la Campana, from Spain

13- Fundación Semg Solidaria, from Spain

14- The Nature Conservancy (Conservación de la Naturaleza), from the USA

15- Wateraid America, INC, from the USA

16- Seeds for Progress Foundation, INC, from the USA

17- Hope Road Nicaragua, INC, from the USA

*This article was originally published in Confidencial and traslated by Havana Times