Violence and the coronavirus are the stars of the 41st anniversary of the Sandinista Revolution in Nicaragua

The violence and the coronavirus have been the protagonists of the 41st anniversary of the Sandinista Revolution in Nicaragua. The massive celebrations organized by the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN), led by President Daniel Ortega, during the celebration of the anniversary of the revolution in this country have been replaced by empty masks and plazas, in part because of the spread of the coronavirus in this nation, where 2846 cases have been registered and at least 91 people have lost their lives. 

This celebration pays tribute to the triumph of the Sandinista Revolution that overthrew President Anastasio Somoza Debayle, accused of being a dictator, on July 19, 1979. Since then, every year hundreds of people take to the streets to celebrate this popular revolution.  Despite health recommendations, in some neighborhoods of Managua and other cities of the country one could observe caravans formed by several vehicles, carrying the FSLN flag, characterized by its red and black colors. 

During the course of the day, a 42-year-old man was shot in the head after shouting "Viva Nicaragua Libre" during one of these caravans. The president of the Nicaraguan Centre for Human Rights (Cenidh), Vilma Núñez, fears that this crime will go unpunished and has therefore announced that she is totally committed to exhausting national and international judicial instances to obtain justice for the family of the murdered man. During her speech - which was reported in the newspaper La Prensa - Núñez stressed the need to highlight "the damage being done by the fanaticism and hatred promoted by Daniel Ortega's dictatorship". 

The Cenidh has warned in recent hours that the crimes have continued. "First the murder of Jorge Rugama for speaking out against a Sandinista caravan and now the burning of his family's home while he was being buried". "El Cenidh strongly condemns these perverse acts," they said before demanding from the government an "immediate and exhaustive investigation" and asking the firefighters to "clarify the causes of the fire". "This is a reflection of the hatred that has been sown. It is an injection of fanaticism and they feel immune, they think they are not going to be harmed," Núñez told the Nicaraguan daily La Prensa. 

The president of the Cenidh believes that this type of event puts the security forces, such as the police, and the judicial system to the test. "What will happen? What will be the reaction? Will they justify it? This has no name and is a reflection of what may happen to us in the future," she stressed. This organization has denounced the murder to the Special Follow-up Mechanism for Nicaragua (Meseni), created by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR). 

For his part, Marcos Carmona, Secretary General of the IACHR has assured that every 19th of July Nicaragua lives a "tragic date", since in different circumstances there have been "deaths, mourning, pain and still blood is being spilled". For these reasons he has asked Daniel Ortega's executive to investigate this murder in an impartial manner. According to this organization, the crime took place after Ortega gave his usual speech to commemorate the 41st anniversary of the Sandinista Revolution. This speech has been harshly criticized by the opposition, in particular by the political formations Alianza Cívica por la Justicia y la Democracia, and its pair Unidad Nacional Azul y Blanco, who on Monday criticized Ortega for "justifying the deaths of COVID-19" and for "manipulating his followers" during his speech. 

The executive director of the Alliance, Juan Sebastián Chamorro, has stressed that "Ortega showed great concern for the repudiation of the population because of the mismanagement that the dictatorship has made in relation to the COVID-19, it is no coincidence that he has spent more than an hour on the issue of health, he knows and is trying to justify all these deaths," according to statements collected by the EFE news agency. 

Violeta Granera, a member of the Political Council of La Unidad, has acted in the same way, warning that the President of Nicaragua is "so devalued" that "he is more interested in what he doesn't say than in what he does say, because all his speeches are full of lies and attempts to manipulate that ever decreasing percentage of the population who still consider themselves members of his party". 

Daniel Ortega and his wife, Rosario Murillo, both sanctioned by the United States, made their first public appearance this Sunday after more than 35 days. The private event with the members of the Sandinista Youth was marked by Murillo's speech, who insisted that "we will never be slaves again. The people never stop".  The president of the Central American nation was the next person to speak, informing that this anniversary has been celebrated with certain security measures to protect life with an epidemic that has surprised the developed countries. 

Despite the circumstances, Ortega focused his speech on detailing the alleged investments that the Executive has made in the public system, according to the newspaper La Prensa. Thus, the Nicaraguan president assured that "the worst epidemic is hunger and wild capitalism", in reference to Washington. Later his speech applauded the latest technological reforms carried out to improve health care and highlighted the construction of clinics and hospitals in the country.  As for the immigration issue, Ortega said that "they cannot enter in a disorderly manner to infect families, those in the neighborhood, that is not correct. That is why it is necessary to verify that each person has a certificate that proves that he or she is not infected with the coronavirus". 

"We are interested in other Nicaraguans returning to Nicaragua, but in an orderly manner. We open the doors, but with the measures that must be taken," he said before assuring that "the effort that the health system makes is enormous". "We must continue to comply with the measures," he said, according to La Prensa, despite the fact that the regime has promoted various mass actions since the beginning of the pandemic, ignoring the recommendations of the World Health Organisation (WHO). 

"Today, on the 41st anniversary, we bear witness to what we said and swore in this square 41 years ago at the foot of the National Palace where our General Sandino was. We said it with the certainty that we were being the bearers of national dignity [...] In this square, in this same place, while we were commemorating the Revolution, there were still brothers fighting [...] Now we are all going to continue fighting the pandemic together, doing sport, culture and always with the measures that the authorities send us. We tell the heroes and martyrs, all the relatives, the combatants that we are going to continue working for peace," he concluded. 

The president of Nicaragua has made this speech after the United States announced its intention to sanction one of his sons, Juan Carlos Ortega Murillo, for "being part of its corrupt inner circle". "Ortega and his corrupt inner circle prioritize their own power and wealth over the needs of the Nicaraguan people," criticized U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin. 

In addition, the Supreme Electoral Council (CSE) of this country has informed that the next general elections will be held on November 7, 2021 and has presented the calendar so that the political parties can present their candidacies for the elections. "Extend the deadline for obtaining legal personality until all the requirements are met by a maximum of five months before the next elections for national authorities are held on 7 November 2021," says the Nicaraguan Official Gazette.