- Under President Daniel Ortega’s government, more than 5,000 civil society organizations have been forced to shut down and eliminate tax exemptions for Catholic and Evangelical churches.
Mexico City, Aug.23.– Nicaragua has shuttered an additional 151 non-governmental organizations (NGOs), including the local affiliate of the US Chamber of Commerce, as part of an ongoing crackdown by President Daniel Ortega’s government.
The decision, announced by the Interior Ministry on Aug. 20, follows the revocation of the legal status of over 1,500 NGOs earlier this year. Most of the organizations affected in this latest round of closures are religious groups.
Ortega has intensified his campaign against NGOs since the mass street protests of 
2018, accusing them of using foreign funds to undermine his government and attempting to remove him from power.
Among the NGOs shut down by the recent decree are the National Farmers and Ranchers Association, along with various chambers of commerce from countries including Mexico, Panama, and Uruguay.
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