Concern that Nicaragua repression could be “model” in region

By GABRIELA SELSER
Associated Press

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Nicaragua President Daniel Ortega’s government has closed seven radio stations this week owned by the Roman Catholic church, as well as two other outlets serving the largely rural northern area with a history of opposition. Experts say the latest crackdown aims to silence any remaining voices of dissent before Nicaragua holds local elections in November, much like Ortega’s arrest of the leading potential opposition candidates before last year’s presidential election. But observers elsewhere in Central America worry that Ortega’s unchecked repression is emboldening other leaders who have shown little tolerance for dissenting voices.