Nicaragua is in crisis. The brutal repression unleashed against the protests that sprouted up organically across the country on April 18, 2018 following the announcement of social security reforms by the government resulted in an enormous human toll: scores of persons wounded, killed (estimates reach 100 dead since last April¹, including young students and a journalist killed live on camera while reporting), many others disappeared, illegally detained, and tortured during their imprisonment, and a population at large terrorized by the threat of indiscriminate violence.
The Nicaraguan people have remained defiant in the face of the most violent repression the country has experienced in decades. We share their pain at the enormous human and civic toll that has ensued. We are saddened and aghast at the violence unleashed on citizens exercising their right to protest. We mourn for the fallen and their families, and for those whose relatives are still missing.
About LASA
The Latin American Studies Association (LASA) is the largest professional association in the world for individuals and institutions engaged in the study of Latin America. With over 13,000 members, over 60% of whom reside outside the United States, LASA is the one association that brings together experts on Latin America from all disciplines and diverse occupational endeavors, across the globe. LASA's mission is to foster intellectual discussion, research, and teaching on Latin America, the Caribbean, and its people throughout the Americas, promote the interests of its diverse membership, and encourage civic engagement through network building and public debate.
If you wish to interview a LASA Executive Council member, you can contact the LASA communications office at (412) 648-7929 or send an email to lasa@lasaweb.org.