More opposition leaders arrested in widening Nicaragua crackdown | Al Jazeera

More prominent opposition leaders have been arrested in Nicaragua, as concerns grow over what observers have described as a crackdown on President Daniel Ortega’s opponents ahead of elections set for later this year.
Police on Sunday arrested Ortega critic Suyen Barahona, leader of the left-wing opposition Unamos party, after three other party officials were arrested by police over the weekend.

Barahona is among nearly a dozen opposition leaders as well as presidential hopefuls who this month have been detained or disqualified from running in the presidential contest, which will be held in November.

“It’s not just potential candidates any more, it’s political leaders,” said former general and Sandinista dissident Hugo Torres. “This is not a transition to dictatorship, it is a dictatorship in every way.”

The crackdown began on June 2 when police raided the home of Cristiana Chamorro, journalist and would-be presidential candidate, on charges of money laundering shortly after she announced her intention to run in the elections.

At least 11 political leaders have been arrested, while journalists have also been questioned by authorities in recent weeks.