Nicaragua students released from the church after the night of violence; 2 dead

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MANAGUA, Nicaragua – Catholic bishops obtained Saturday the release of dozens of Nicaraguan student demonstrators trapped in a church in a shower of gunfire from a pro-government government According to a group of In defense of human rights, two students were killed and died in the church, told NBC News Carlos Rodriguez, spokesman for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. 39, man in Central America. Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes, of the Archdiocese of Managua, also said Saturday at a press conference that two young people had been killed and two others wounded

"It's sad for us and we said several times that we should not die. "The students took refuge in the Catholic Church of Divine Mercy on Friday after gunmen loyal to President Daniel Ortega started shooting at them. at the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua (UNAN) in Managua, prompting new criticisms of the violent repression.

This follows months of unrest between pro-government forces and protesters who killed about 300 people. Clashes between forces supporting President Daniel Ortega and protesters calling for his resignation mark the deadliest demonstrations in Nicaragua since the end of the civil war in 1990.

Paulo Abrao of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights Man said on Twitter that at least one youth died in the church and three people were injured. The mother of a woman who spent the night in the church told Reuters that a student had died.

Journalists and students trapped tell that shots have not stopped. It is now nearly 2 am in Nicaragua and government forces fired on this university, and the church inside, for more than 12 hours

– Joshua Partlow (@partlowj) 14 July 2018

The mother who reported a death stated that the students had spent the night squatting on the church floor, fearing for their lives while the shooters were firing ricocheted shots inside the church

. a young man died inside the church, "said the mother, Socorro.He asked not to give his last name for fear of reprisals

A delegation of d & # 39; Catholic bishops of Nicaragua negotiated the transfer of students to the Metropolitan Cathedral of Managua, where they received medical care

.

On Saturday, three American lawmakers from Florida spoke about violence in Nicaragua, calling for an end.

"The paramilitaries of # Ortega have trapped dozens of students, some of them wounded, in a church. The oppression and aggression must stop, "said Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla. On Facebook.

Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., Compared the regime of Ortega to that of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and former Cuban leader Fidel Castro, adding that the violence in Nicaragua is "reprehensible."

"The American people side with Nicaragua people," Nelson wrote on Facebook. "They deserve to have their voices heard."

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., Broadcast Saturday several tweets about violence in Nicaragua, showing images of bullets that he said were being used by Ortega's "paramilitary gangs". "

" This attack and this siege are led by the paramilitary gangs, who are armed and controlled by Ortega and his wife / VP Rosario Murillo, will be directly and personally responsible for those who have already died or been injured and of all those who die or are injured, "writes Rubio in a document. ] tweet .

Nicaragua has been convulsed by unrest since April, when its left-wing president proposed cutting pension benefits to cover a social security deficit. The plan, later abandoned, provoked deadly demonstrations and led to Ortega's resignation demands and early elections.

A national strike swept the streets Friday, companies closing their doors, responding to the call of Ortega.

The general strike followed mbad protests that spread across the Central American nation on Thursday.