The Nicaraguan government has seized a prominent Jesuit-run university—The Central American University—in the capital Managua, in President Daniel Ortega’s latest effort to lash out against the Catholic Church.
The Society of Jesus—the Jesuit order that runs the school—told reporters that the government had accused the university of being “a center of terrorism organized by criminal groups.”
In the wake of the announcement, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) issued a statement condemning the university’s confiscation.
“The impact of this measure with the suspension of classes seriously affects the right to education, which is essential for the fulfilment of other human rights,” the OHCHR wrote.
The agency called on Nicaragua to respect its obligations under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which protects the right to education.
The university’s seizure is part of a pattern under the Ortega administration, which has faced international criticism for its heavy-headed approach to stifling dissent.
Critics believe Ortega and his allies have targeted universities for their role in the widespread antigovernment protests that jolted the country in 2018.
Clashes with government forces ultimately left at least 355 people dead over the following year, some of whom were killed at the university itself.
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