Opposition groups say release triggered by ‘political chess moves’ following US abduction of Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro.
Published On 10 Jan 2026
Nicaragua’s government released dozens of prisoners following pressure from the US administration.
The government of President Daniel Ortega stated on Saturday that “tens of people” held in the national penitentiary system had been released to their families.
Tho the government framed the move as commemorating 19 years of Ortega’s leadership, Nicaragua faces meaningful US pressure regarding its human rights record and its crackdown on opposition figures.
This release also reflects growing pressure on left-leaning latin American governments to meet demands from the Trump administration, which is actively working to increase its influence in the Americas.
Tensions escalated after the US military attacked Venezuela on January 3 and abducted president Nicolas Maduro, who faces US charges of narcoterrorism and drug trafficking, allegations he denies.
The US Embassy in Nicaragua praised the release of opposition figures in Venezuela after Maduro’s removal. It urged Ortega’s government to do the same.
“In Nicaragua, over 60 people remain unjustly detained or missing, including pastors, religious workers, the sick, and the elderly. Peace requires freedom!” the Embassy posted on social media.
A human rights NGO reported that 19 people were released on Saturday.
opposition leader Ana Margarita Vijil identified former mayor Oscar Gadea and evangelical pastor Rudy Palacios among those released.
Palacios was detained in July after criticizing the Nicaraguan government’s human rights record. He also supported demonstrators who protested against Ortega in 2018.
Ortega responded to those protests with a crackdown resulting in at least 350 deaths and hundreds of detentions.
Liberales Nicaragua, an opposition coalition, welcomed the prisoner release. They stated it resulted from “political pressure exerted by the US government” and “political chess moves triggered by events in Venezuela.”
