4 Accounts to Follow as Nicaraguans Continue Resisting the Government
Photo by Voice of America.
For months, the people of Nicaragua have risen up in protest of the government. While many factors led to what the country is experiencing today, the tipping point came when President Daniel Ortega enacted pension reforms, which raised taxes by up to 4 percentage points and cut benefits by 5 percent. After protests broke out across the country – and the military, in an attempt to quell unrest, killed citizens – Ortega canceled the planned reforms. But that hasn't stopped Nicaragüenses from challenging an authoritarian regime and calling for Ortega and his wife to step down. As such, the death toll has climbed as protesters have been met with all manner of suppression. And as the media cycle moves onto the next issue, the stories from Nicaragua plunge into the background.
But for many of us with ties to the Central American country, it's impossible to forget as our families, friends, and acquaintances fight for a free Nicaragua. Here are four Nicaraguans (and people of Nicaraguan descent) who are using their social media platforms to draw attention to the reality Nicoyas face.
1. @ChicaRamirezNIC
Doña Francisca Ramírez gives a first-hand perspective of the way Ortega's forces exert power over Nicaraguans. Centering the voices of campesinos, Francisca's Twitter account is a necessary voice in la lucha.
Follow here.
2. @Artículo 66
Artículo 66 is an independent news outlet that offers perspectives you may not see everywhere.
Follow here.
3. @biancajagger
Bianca Jagger has been one of Ortega’s most vocal critics. As a matter of fact, in September, Jagger sent a strong message to the Nicaraguan president during a speech at the Council of Americas.
“I can tell you when Daniel Ortega claims that the US is invading, when Daniel Ortega claimed that this is a foreign intervention from the right, nothing could be further from the truth,” she said. “The movement in Nicaragua is neither the left or from the right. It’s where students, it’s where people who came together who said, ‘Enough of this dictatorship.’ It is not true that there is an invasion from the US. I think that no one will have the audacity of claiming that I am a right-wing person. I think that my credentials are clear.”
On her Twitter account, she shares articles and news about the situation in Nicaragua, and she often denounces Ortega.
Follow here.
4. @orozheux
Because English-language media does not follow every incident, those who cannot speak Spanish are shut out from getting the most accurate and up-to-date news. Twitter user @Orozheux is doing the very important work of translating resources into English.
Follow here.