AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL has been accused of demonising the Nicaraguan government in its latest report.

The human rights group, which infamously refused to campaign for the freedom of Nelson Mandela because of his support for armed struggle, launched its Urgent Action campaign with a report denouncing the “wave of arrests of students and activists” in Nicaragua.

But the Sandinista government says those being held are not victims but the perpetrators of violent crimes, a fact that it says Amnesty is deliberately ignoring.

National Assembly president Gustavo Porras said that those being held are accused of kidnapping, murder and sexual assault.

Also in detention are those who burned down public and private buildings, including schools and hospitals, during violent attempts to overthrow the government of President Daniel Ortega.  

Mr Porras warned that Amnesty’s report failed to mention any of this but chose to stick to the “myth” that the students and protesters were peaceful.

The report makes no mention of the murder of Nicaraguans, including 22 police officers, one of whom was tortured and his burned body dumped on a road.

As violence erupted in April after protests over pension reforms, Sandinista supporters were targeted, their houses being marked with paint. Pro-government rallies were also attacked and roadblocks set up across the country to cripple the economy. The United States was accused of involvement.

Mr Porras explained that all of those being held are detained in accordance with the law. Prisoners include 204 people held for crimes of terrorism or criminal violence, 187 of them men, 17 women.

Most are awaiting criminal trial and are treated fairly in prison, with fortnightly conjugal visits allowed, family visits and access to legal support, he said.
 
Mr Ortega has accused the US of plotting to oust him with funds for opposition groups and newspapers recently receiving a boost from the Trump administration.

And he called last week for the resignation of Luis Almagro, head of the Washington-based Organisation of American States, after he demanded the “asphyxiation” of Mr Ortega’s government.

Despite hostility from the US and its neoliberal allies, hundreds of thousands of Nicaraguans took part in pro-government rallies at the weekend.