DISINFO: 2018 protests in Nicaragua were terrorism
SUMMARY
A terrorism wave scourged Nicaragua between April and July 2018.
RESPONSE
The claim about “a terrorism wave” refers to the protests that took place in Nicaragua against the government of Daniel Ortega in the spring of 2018. But while the unrest took the shape of an uprising with a strong component of violence -in no small degree fueled by the disproportionate actions of Nicaraguan security forces-, it can not be considered terrorism.
When protests broke out in Nicaragua against a proposed tax reform on 18 April 2018, the government of Ortega sent security forces to meet them with lethal force. Violent clashes left scores of dead, and Nicaraguan authorities started a repressive campaign against the opposition that continues to this day. In September 2018, Nicaraguan government banned all demonstrations in the country. During this period, Ortega declared that the protests were “terrorism” and authorities started using anti-terrorism laws to persecute demonstrators and opposition members. Nicaraguan officials have been labelling the 2018 events as terrorism since then, a disinformation narrative amplified by pro-Kremlin outlets.
See other examples of similar disinformation narratives in our database, such as claims that there is a western media campaign against Nicaragua, which may be preparation for a military intervention; that Nicaragua’s government prevented a coup backed by the EU and the US; or that a big blackout in Central America may be a rehearsal to ‘unplug’ rebel governments.