Nicaraguan police detain opposition VP hopeful, party says

Berenice Quezada is under house arrest, her Citizens Alliance for Liberty party says, as President Daniel Ortega’s crackdown continues.

Police in Nicaragua have detained a vice-presidential hopeful seeking to contest the country’s November vote, her party said on Wednesday, as a crackdown by President Daniel Ortega’s government on opposition leaders and presidential challengers continues. More than two dozen figures have been arrested since early June in what rights groups and international observers have said is an attempt by Ortega to freeze out opponents as he seeks to secure a fourth consecutive term as president. Berenice Quezada, who was Miss Nicaragua in 2017, was detained at her home late on Tuesday night and placed under house arrest, her Citizens Alliance for Liberty (CXL) party said.