Nicaragua’s government has clamped down hard on nongovernmental organizations, driving environmental defenders out of the country and shutting down watchdog groups that protect natural resources. The government has shuttered over a thousand entities ranging from environmental groups to universities and is seeking new legal grounds to take further action against critics. The moves threaten to leave a void of independent organizations in the country and have drawn wide condemnation. “Being an activist in Nicaragua means you can end up in jail, forced into exile or killed,” says Amaru Ruiz, president of Fundación del Río, a green group once based in Managua. Ruiz has been working from neighboring Costa Rica since the government closed his foundation’s office in the Nicaraguan capital and seized the organization’s property. “Simply flying a Nicaraguan flag puts a target on your back,” he says, referring to protestors who have carried the national flag rather than that... [Log in to read more]