In competing figures that highlight the fight over the control of information during conflicts, the human rights arm of the Organization of American States (OAS) have documented at least 273 fatalities and over 2,000 injuries from the ongoing political unrest in Nicaragua since April. The government lists a death toll of 51, and has labeled most protestors as terrorists. Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay, Peru, and the US have demanded an end to the government repression of the protests, which will likely continue. The influential Catholic Church in the country continues to play a strong mediating role between the government and the protestors, although recent conflicts centered around churches threatens to eliminate its mediating role and push it more staunchly into the anti-government camp, as has happened in other countries in Asia, Latin America, and Africa.
Source: Nicaragua protests: Death toll reaches 273, human rights group says – CNN
