Daniel Ortega has taken advantage of his visit to Caracas to multiply his activity on social networks, in an effort to consolidate the title of "President of Peace" that he has awarded himself amid strong international criticism. An impossible task at the moment, since it barely exceeds a thousand followers on Twitter, Instagram and Tik Tok despite the fact that these are accounts created months ago.
"We Nicaraguans always have Chávez in our hearts," Ortega highlighted on his Instagram, while on Twitter he bet on reminding his ally Nicolás Maduro that "it is up to him to raise the sword of Bolívar, that Chávez transferred it to him, and that it is in his hands of the Bolivarian people that travels through Latin America and the Caribbean".
"The arrival of the dictator Ortega to social networks is surprising due to the delay, since the digital space is increasingly preponderant in Nicaragua. The regime's strategy of crushing all independent media has not fully worked, because journalists have strengthened their presence on social networks and today they have more power there than the media of the dictatorship," sociologist Douglas Castro, leader of the Nicaraguan University Alliance (AUN), reveals to EL MUNDO.
After expropriating and persecuting the main Nicaraguan media outlets, such as the newspaper La Prensa, 100% Noticias, and Confidencial, jailing their owners, directors, and journalists, and forcing the exile of hundreds of reporters, the Sandinistas have focused on conquering the social networks. That is why we had to take advantage of the trip to Caracas, where Chavismo has intertwined disinformation networks with the Russians and Cubans that have an impact on the entire continent.
"We have learned throughout history that dialogues with the Empire are a death sentence," the Sandinista leader reminded Nicolás Maduro and Raúl Castro, great protagonists of the commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the "sowing of the supreme commander" . Maduro accompanied Ortega's phrase with great laughter, despite the fact that the three have kept diplomatic channels open with Washington for months.
Ortega's collaborators highlighted the phrase on the networks of their leader, who, like Maduro, insisted on peace and unity as reference points for his mandates. Bolivarian propaganda sells Maduro as a "people's president" and "leader of victories" (he was a bus driver), but also as an "architect of peace."
Between the two revolutions there have been more than 600 violent deaths in the repression of protests. Both dictators have also competed for years with Cuba in the ranking of political prisoners. At this moment, the Chavista dungeons add up to 269 political prisoners, while the Nicaraguan ones house only 38, after the exile of 222 to Washington.
Among those who remain in the Central American country stands out the rebel bishop, Rolando Álvarez, who refused to be exiled and was sent to a punishment cell. Little is known since last month about the state of health of the bishop of Matagalpa, who with his refusal undid the "redemption" that Ortega sought with the release of the cream of the opposition and Nicaraguan social activism.
Another of the measures being prepared by Ortega and his wife, the "co-president" Rosario Murillo, who on this occasion did not travel to Caracas, is the conditional release of 230 common prisoners for International Women's Day. This is a Sandinista strategy, which takes advantage of different holidays (such as Easter or the anniversary of the revolution) to release prisoners and lighten the prisons.
Despite the government effort, "its media and activists have not been able to overcome the independent media and users who are critical of the dictatorship. It is surprising that this is the case, because they are millionaire media and with all the support of the State, such as Channel 8 or digital 19 And let alone the main opposition figures, such as (the university leader) Lesther Alemán, who last week had a potential reach of more than 20 million views on social networks, while Ortega's accounts did not reach the half a million," says Douglas Castro.
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