Nicaragua: Open Forum 5 years after the rebellion against the Ortega-Murillo regime

5 years have passed since the social rebellion of April 2018 in Nicaragua and from the International Socialist League and our Nicaraguan section, Alternativa Anticapitalista, we are holding an Open Forum to discuss the perspectives and tasks for the revolutionary left and the anti-dictatorial movement in Nicaragua in the framework of a Central America on the move.

As we have mentioned in numerous articles and documents and was addressed in our second World Congress held in March in Barcelona, “in Nicaragua a regime of dictatorship is maintained against the whole of the working people, peasants and youth, with the most elementary democratic rights suppressed”[i]. This regime, headed by Ortega and Murillo, was strongly challenged by a profound rebellion that in April 2018 showed the power and willingness of hundreds of thousands of young activists to fight. The defeat of that process and the violent repression unleashed has provoked a forced exile of thousands of young people, many of whom, along with former historical Sandinista militants, peasant and worker referents, were brutally tortured and imprisoned for years.

The recent release and exile of some 200 of these detainees, undoubtedly conditioned by the enormous international pressure against the dictatorship, of which the Caravan for the life and freedom of political prisoners in Nicaragua, promoted by the ISL and our comrades in the region such as the PRT of Costa Rica and Alternativa Anticapitalista Nicaragua among other organizations, played a fundamental role. This raised the need to discuss broadly how we take new united steps. That’s the horizon with which we call for this Open Forum.

To discuss in unity a path to end the dictatorship in Nicaragua and build a Central America of the workers and peoples.

In this framework and based on the rich struggle experience throughout the region, we want to advance in a proposal that allows us to recompose the revolutionary forces and work to build an alternative in Nicaragua and throughout the region. This initiative arises from this urge and from the need to coordinate actions to forge the necessary links to make it reality and giving continuity to the impulse we undertook with the caravan.

The Open Forum, which will be broadcast on the ISL Facebook Live account, will be attended by prominent activists such as Yader Parajón, recently released from prison by the dictatorship and exiled in the US. Lludely Aburto Ruiz, former FSLN militant, member of the Articulation of Social Movements. María José Lechado, Nicaraguan migrant and militant of the PRT of Costa Rica exiled in Costa Rica and Mohamet Pacheco, exiled student and militant of Alternativa Anticapitalista (ISL Nicaragua).

It will take place next Saturday, April 22 at the following times:

1 pm Costa Rica, Mexico and Nicaragua 2 pm Colombia, Ecuador and Peru 3 pm USA (NY), Chile, Paraguay and Venezuela 4 pm Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay 9 pm Spain.

We invite you to spread the word and participate in this important activity.


[i] Permanent Revolution Magazine N° 3, Resolution on Nicaragua. Theoretical and political magazine of the ISL.