Nicaraguan government pursues NGO in widening crackdown

MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) — Nicaraguan authorities have ordered the capture of a former education minister and a businessman as the government’s crackdown continued to expand beyond leaders of the political opposition. The Attorney General’s Office said Thursday that arrest orders were issued for Humberto Belli, who served in the administration of former President Violeta Chamorro, and Gerardo Baltodano, owner of Café Soluble, for not appearing to provide statements as scheduled. Both Belli and Baltodano had served on the board of the nongovernmental Nicaraguan Foundation for Economic and Social Development (FUNIDES), which is under investigation.