Nicaraguan Court Sentences Opposition Leader Cristiana Chamorro to Eight Years in Prison
Chamorro appeared on VOS TV, a Nicaraguan cable news channel, on February 5, 2021 (Wikimedia Commons).
On March 21, a Nicaraguan judge sentenced Cristiana Chamorro, a former candidate in the race for Nicaragua’s presidency, to eight years in prison. Chamorro, who was placed on house arrest in June 2021 prior to the election, was charged with money laundering alongside her brother, Pedro Joaquin Chamorro, and three employees of the Violeta Barrios de Chamorro Foundation. The government accused Chamorro of laundering money through the Violeta Barrios de Chamorro Foundation. The court found all five guilty on March 12, CNN reported. It remains unclear whether she will serve her sentence under house arrest or in prison.
Prior to the November 2021 election, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega imprisoned many leaders that opposed him on similar charges as Chamorro’s. According to CNN, Ortega’s government, using a national security law, began imprisoning those opposed to Ortega in June 2021, including journalists, opposition leaders, presidential candidates, and human rights activists. CNN also reported that Ortega went on to reclaim the presidency, marking his fifth term.
Ortega’s crackdown on dissidents is not a new trend. AP News found that many Nicaraguans have gone into exile following the Nicaraguan security forces’ crackdown on anti-government protests in 2018. AP News went on to report that Ortega claimed the anti-government protests qualified as coup attempts orchestrated with the assistance of foreign powers.
Chamorro was one of seven presidential candidates–and many Nicaraguans– opposed to Ortega. Chamorro was believed to be Nicaragua’s best chance at defeating him, BBC reported.
Prior to contesting the election, Chamorro was a journalist and the director of the Violeta Barrios de Chamorro Foundation. According to AP News, the Foundation, which ceased operations in January 2021, advocated for freedom of expression, trained journalists, and helped finance other news outlets. Chamorro also served as the editor of La Prensa, the largest publication in Nicaragua, per AP News.
Chamorro hails from a politically influential family. According to AP News, her mother, Violeta Barrios de Chamorro, held the presidency from 1990 to 1997. Barrios de Chamorro was the first female president of Nicaragua; her 1990 election win also marked the end of Ortega’s first eleven years in office, per BBC. Chamorro’s father, like Chamorro, was the editor of La Prensa, which was opposed to the autocratic government under the Somozas, according to BBC. Chamoro’s father remained the editor of La Prensa until his assassination in 1978, AP News reported.
According to Reuters, Chamorro argues that the charges levied against her are being used to tarnish her family’s legacy. Reuters also reported that Chamorro's other brother, Carlos Fernando Chamorro, who lives in exile in Costa Rica, said the sentences placed on Chamorro and others "show the Ortega regime is in crisis, that it can no longer govern and has nothing to offer Nicaraguans."
