President Daniel Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo of Nicaragua, in an official event. File photo.
The Ministry of the Interior of Nicaragua has ordered the suspension of operations of nine foreign non-profit organizations for their failure to comply with internal controls and Nicaraguan regulations.
According to a resolution published in Nicaragua’s Official Gazette number 107 on Tuesday, June 14, the aforementioned NGOs failed to register as foreign agents. These NGOs are Engineering World Health, Giving for Living International Inc, Friends of the Americas, Research Triangle Institute, The Fyera Foundation, and Awana International.
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The official resolution establishes that all foreign organizations legally authorized to operate in Nicaragua must “deliver to the regulating body, the required legal and financial documentation.”
Part of the resolution reads: “These organizations have hindered the control and surveillance of the General Directorate of Registration and Control of non-profit organizations, of the Ministry of the Interior.” The said NGOs failed to report their financial statements and the origin of all their donor members, as well as donations from abroad. The NGOs must now deliver the required documentation within 72 hours.
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The Nicaraguan government had already canceled the registration of 18 European NGOs, as well as that of 14 from the US and one from Costa Rica. In total, 42 foreign NGOs have been suspended.
The NGO suspensions have been criticized by the Nicaraguan opposition and by some other governments, principal among them being the US and Canada, that have accused Daniel Ortega’s administration of being anti-democratic and authoritarian. On Monday, June 13, the United States government imposed visa restrictions on 93 Nicaraguan officials.
The government of Nicaragua passed Law 1055, dubbed “Foreign Agents Law,” after the failed coup of 2018, in which a number of NGOs funded by US and European governments were involved.
(Últimas Noticias) by Roberto Araujo, with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/GMS/SC/EF
