Nicaragua marks 1979 revolution date with opponents jailed

The Nicaraguan government organized rallies and festivities Monday to mark the anniversary of the 1979 revolution that overthrew dictator Anastasio Somoza.

President Daniel Ortega led the July 19, 1979 Sandinista uprising that ousted the Somoza family.

Ortega's wife and vice president Rosario Murillo said some 5,000 events - ranging from piñata parties for kids to baseball games -have been scheduled. The parties began on Sunday night with fireworks and revolutionary-era music for thousands gathered at Managua's Plaza de la Fe.

Ortega, 75, is seeking a fourth consecutive term in Nov. 7 elections, and his six main potential rivals have been detained.

Most face vague allegations of crimes against the state. Ortega alleges the country's April 2018 street protests were part of an organized coup attempt with foreign backing.

Some who turned out for the festivities said their support for Ortega is unshaken.

"We had an attempted coup in 2018, of course they did not (succeed) nor will they ever succeed," said Nery Calero.

But with most opposition leaders jailed, many Nicaraguans say the president is acting much like Somoza did 42 years ago.

Several of the leading Sandinista revolutionaries who fought alongside Ortega in 1979 have now been jailed by him.

Most of those arrested in a crackdown that began in late May are being held incommunicado, at undisclosed locations with no access to lawyers or family visits.

Those currently under arrest include 65-year-old Dora María Téllez, a former guerrilla commander who later split with Ortega and became a leader of the Sandinista Renovation Movement. Another jailed former Sandinista guerrilla and Renovation Movement leader, Hugo Torres, is 73.

"For us it' s shameful to commemorate it with heroes of that struggle, such as Dora María Téllez, Víctor Hugo Tinoco and Hugo Torres imprisoned," said Mónica Baltodano, herself a former guerrilla commander.

In a sign of the times, Baltodano spoke to The Associated Press in a videoconference interview from a "safe house" in an undisclosed location; she, too, fears she will be arrested soon.

With six of the best-known potential candidates already in jail and the field tilted heavily in Ortega's favor, some have urged the opposition to sit out and not legitimize an Ortega victory. Candidates must register by Aug. 2.

"We know and we are convinced that this regime is the opposite of the utopia for which we all fought at that time and for which thousands, thousands of comrades, brothers, gave their lives," Baltodano said.

In June, Mexico and Argentina recalled their ambassadors to Nicaragua for consultations, and the Organization of American States passed a resolution condemning the arrests of key opposition figures, as well as prominent businessmen and former government officials.

The U.S. State Department announced last week it is revoking the travel visas of 100 legislators, judges and prosecutors who it said aided Ortega's regime by applying spurious "treason" and censorship laws to justify the arrest of opponents.