Demonstrators demand a free Nicaragua on Independence Day

Tegucigalpa, Honduras

Groups of protesters have called for "Nicaragua free"this Sunday, when the country celebrates its 1st birthday98 of his independence of the Spanish Crown, in the middle of a socio-political crisis for decades.

After attending Sunday Mbad, the protesters stayed in parishes in different cities of Nicaragua celebrate independence and claim the "freedom" of the country, which they regard as governed by a dictatorship.

"Democracy yes, no dictatorship!", "Long live Nicaragua free! "or" Pueblo, join! "are some of the slogans cited by protesters in Catholic temples of cities such as Catarina, El Rosario, Managua or Matagalpa, in the Pacific and north of the Central American country.

Protesters dressed in blue and white, balloons or confetti with the same colors, danced the "are unique" and raised the national flag of Nicaragua, in tribute to the country, acts for which some people had already been sentenced to several years of imprisonment

"We want a fair and democratic Nicaragua, and a transparent government," said Victoria Obando, a transbadual and "released prisoner," during a protest in Managua Cathedral.

The "self-convened" protesters, named because they meet spontaneously and without obeying the leaders, have chosen to demonstrate inside the parishes to avoid being captured by police and paramilitaries .

The Nicaraguan police have banned any expression of rejection of the president Daniel Ortega, although the measure is criticized by jurists because it contradicts the Constitution.

Unlike other similar demonstrations, police deployment was more restricted around Catholic temples; however, a large number of "political prisoners" denounced the "siege" of the agents for having spent the morning in front of the doors of their houses, armed with rifles. of war.

Other opponents also shared videos showing that the police had arrested several people carrying the flag of Nicaragua In their vehicles.

Liberty claims were given a day after the Government of Nicaragua refuse the inscription of a commission of the Organization of American States (OAS) aimed at promoting a process of internal dialogue to overcome the local crisis.

Nicaragua became independent from the Spanish Crown on September 15, 1821, as did Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. EFE