On Wednesday, the Nicaraguan parliament voted unanimously to dissolve the Nicaraguan Red Cross, accusing it of violating its commitment to remain neutral during the 2018 anti-government protests and replacing it with a new public body.

Unanimously, the members of Parliament – all associated with the government of President Daniel Ortega – approved a resolution repealing the decree establishing the Nicaraguan Red Cross on October 29, 1958.

Before the vote, parliamentarians accused the Nicaraguan Red Cross of violating the country’s nonprofit legislation, as well as the principle of neutrality of the Geneva-based International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, where it was founded in 1863.

The 2018 demonstrations, centered on the demand for the resignation of President Ortega, his wife and Vice President Rosario Murillo, were characterized by the authorities as a US-instigated coup attempt. More than 300 people died in the riots and their suppression, according to the UN.

Since then, more than 2,000 organizations and organizations, including business associations and Catholic universities, have legally ceased to exist following accusations of violating Nicaraguan law, specifically on “foreign agents”.

“During the events of 2018 (…) the (Red Cross) associations acted in a way that was contrary to their principles (of neutrality) and (their) statutes,” the rationale for the resolution reads.

The text specifies that the Nicaraguan Red Cross will be replaced by an “autonomous decentralized (public) organization”.

Source: RES-IPE