The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) announced yesterday Monday that it ended its presence in Nicaragua, at the request of the authorities of the Central American country.

“At the request of the Nicaraguan authorities, the ICRC has closed its office in Managua, thus ending its humanitarian mission in the country,” explains its statement released in Mexico.

Members of parliament accused the Red Cross of violating the law regulating the activity of non-profit organizations and the principle of neutrality of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, based in Geneva (where it was founded in 1863), uniting 192 national societies.

The “hunt” of the Red Cross in the country

In March 2022, the government of President Daniel Ortega proceeded to expel from Nicaragua the head of the ICRC mission, Tomas H.

The humanitarian organization and the Ortega government had signed in January 2019 agreement that allowed ICRC members to visit prisoners.

A year earlier, the ICRC opened a mission in the country as they raged mass mobilizations with a central demand for the resignation of president Ortega and his wife and vice president Rosario Murillo. The protests turned into a riot with over 300 deadaccording to the UN, as well as thousands of injuries and imprisonments.

The International Committee of the Red Cross recalled that its work consisted, in addition to visiting the imprisoned, in supporting the work of Nicaraguan Red Cross – where destroyed by a decision of the parliament in May. Authorities accused him of violating his obligation to maintain neutrality during anti-government protests in 2018.

The members of the Nicaraguan national delegation, all close to President Ortega, approved a resolution that provided annulment of the decree establishing the Nicaraguan Red Cross on October 29, 1958, and its replacement by a public organization.

The ICRC regional delegation responsible for Mexico and Central America “reaffirms its will to resume dialogue and humanitarian action in Nicaragua,” according to the statement released.

In total, over 2,000 non-profit organizations, non-governmental organizations or collective bodies, especially employers, were outlawed after the adoption of very restrictive laws imposing strict controls on them.

Following a proposal by Daniel Ortega, the parliament voted in June 2022 to dissolve the Academy of the Spanish Language, affiliated with the Royal Spanish Academy and operating for over a century, as well as 82 other NGOs accused of violations of the law about “foreign agents”.