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Nicaraguan Leader's Brother Targets Paramilitary Fighters

by VOA News

   The brother of Nicaraguan leader Daniel Ortega called on his brother
   Saturday to stop the paramilitary fighters that have been blamed for
   months of unrest in the Central American country.

   Humberto Ortega, once the head of the Nicaraguan military, told CNN
   Espanol that his brother's government must act to "end the presence of
   these armed people" after three months of violence that have left 448
   people dead.

   The paramilitary fighters are acting "as if they are a military or
   police authority," Humberto Ortega said, urging his brother to work
   with the army to resolve the crisis.

   On Friday, more than 40 medical professionals were fired in Leon,
   reportedly for treating anti-government protesters at a public
   hospital.

   Earlier this week, the Nicaraguan Pro-Human Rights Association said the
   death toll from the violence had climbed to 448, while the number of
   kidnappings and disappearances blamed on paramilitaries has been
   tallied at 595.

   On Tuesday, Daniel Ortega gave a rare interview to the U.S. news
   channel Fox News. He said the paramilitaries were funded by members of
   the political opposition and drug cartels. But he offered no support
   for his claims.

   The protests erupted in April after Ortega announced changes to the
   country's pension system. He later gave up those plans, but protesters
   have continued to speak out against the government, and government
   authorities continue to crack down on the demonstrators. The president
   has called the protesters terrorists and has said they are planning a
   coup.

   He has refused to hold early elections, saying they would only make the
   situation worse.