Eight private institutions of higher learning have been shut down in the month of February, a move by President Ortega that many read as a clear aim at controlling still further critical voices and alternative thinking in universities

Local governments have created 202 “Casas de Cultura y Creatividad”, centres that promote art, culture, and national identity, offering courses in various artistic disciplines and teaching traditions such as music, dance, and folklore

Nicaragua's Parliament has passed a law imposing up to five years in prison for social media users who spread messages deemed to incite "fear" by the government, a move the opposition calls a "gag law" aimed at silencing criticism

135 political prisoners from Nicaragua have been released due to US intervention, including students and religious leaders detained under President Daniel Ortega's crackdown