Casualties of Authoritarianism: Closing on Pluralism and the Fate of Nicaraguan Former Political Prisoners

Authoritarian practices are spreading rapidly across Latin America and the Caribbean, deepening democratic backsliding. Nicaragua’s repression and unchecked radicalization are becoming a dictator’s playbook, marked by the elimination of civil society, religious persecution, lack of independent media, political imprisonment, forced exile, and a severe concentration of power that fuels corruption and kleptocracy.

Join the Dialogue’s Migration, Remittances & Development Program and the American Jewish World Service on Thursday, September 26, 2024 from 3:00 to 4:20 PM EDT for a conversation about the casualties of authoritarianism, the erosion of pluralism, and the fate of former political prisoners. This discussion will explore pressing questions about current developments in Nicaragua and the broader region. How can Nicaragua’s radicalization be halted? How is authoritarian rule impacting the region’s politics? What challenges does the Nicaraguan regime pose to the international community with its political moves? To what extent are “family clans” becoming normalized in regional politics, as seen in Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, Venezuela, and Guatemala, where opposition family members are occupying legislative seats? How are exile and political imprisonment complicating efforts toward democratic transitions?

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OPENING REMARKS AND MODERATOR

MANUEL OROZCO

Director, Migration, Remittances & Development Program, Inter-American Dialogue (@manuelorozco65)

SPEAKERS

ENRIQUE ROIG

Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor at the US Department of State (@enriqueroig) 

TAMARA DÁVILA

Human Rights Fellow, Kalamazoo College and Member of Concertación Democrática Nicaragüense/Monteverde (@TamaraDvila3)

LAURA DIB

Director, Venezuela Program, Washington Office on Latin America (@lauradib)

CLOSING REMARKS

EMILY RUGAMA

Senior Program Officer, American Jewish World Service

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