Nicaraguan exiles blame Ortega's regime for attacks and threats, as he secures fifth term in office

Ortega was erstwhile a revolutionary. He himself took powerfulness aft helping overthrow dictator Anastasio Somoza Debayle, but has spent the past fewer years cracking down brutally connected dissenting voices.

In June, Ortega's authorities began utilizing a vague nationalist information instrumentality arsenic justification to fastener up absorption statesmanlike candidates, absorption leaders, journalists, quality rights activists and others up of this month's election. Dozens person been hauled disconnected to El Chipote, the notorious situation wherever Ortega himself was incarcerated arsenic a young antheral successful the 1970s.

Ordinary citizens present unrecorded successful fearfulness of some the authorities and of each other, according to the twelve radical wrong Nicaragua who spoke to CNN. Neighbors seldom speech authorities anymore for fearfulness of being denounced arsenic a traitor, they said.

Under specified conditions, Sunday's election has been wide discredited arsenic a "sham" and a "parody" by antiauthoritarian governments and quality rights experts. But with nary credible absorption candidates connected the ballot, Ortega's authorities says helium won much than 75 percent of the vote, according to the country's Supreme Electoral Council connected Monday.

A increasing fig of critics some wrong and extracurricular the state accidental the lone solution present is for the planetary assemblage to intervene, with proposals ranging from expanding sanctions to cutting disconnected diplomatic relations.

But the regime's run to soundlessness critics does not halt astatine Nicaragua's borders -- Costa Rican authorities sources and anecdotal grounds suggests that agents of the Ortega authorities person been stalking and threatening outspoken Nicaraguan exiles and, successful immoderate cases, are believed to person carried retired carnal unit abroad.

Detailed questions sent to the Nicaraguan authorities and to the bureau of Vice President Rosario Murillo's bureau -- Ortega's woman and authorities spokeswoman -- were not acknowledged oregon answered.

'Is time an execution?'

It was astir 8 p.m. connected October 2 successful San José, Costa Rica, and Berenice Zeledón had mislaid her compartment phone. She'd conscionable near the angiosperm store owned by her adjacent person and chap Nicaraguan Rayza Hope, truthful they some turned astir and went backmost wrong to look for it.

As soon arsenic Berenice reached her phone, the brace heard the metallic doorway unopen down them. A antheral had entered the shop, hooded and masked. His close manus held a pistol, brought level successful a swift motion.

Rayza expected a robbery. But she said their attacker spoke with a Nicaraguan accent and already knew their names. "At archetypal I thought helium was determination to battle us," she said. "But past helium said, 'You request to halt f**king around, parent f**kers.' Then I knew it was thing else."

CNN agreed to usage pseudonyms for some women to support their identities.

The brace begged him not to wounded them. But helium started to strangle Rayza and pistol whipped her arsenic she fell unconscious, the women aboriginal told police. He past attacked Berenice, shoving her to the crushed with capable unit that X-rays would amusement a fractured close knee.

"The archetypal happening I thought astir was my son," said Berenice, tears sliding down her face. "This antheral is truthful determined; he's going to termination us."

But eventually, the antheral left. He stole nothing.

When Rayza regained consciousness and spoke to Berenice, they some suspected the aforesaid happening -- that an cause of the Nicaraguan authorities had attacked them. That is what they told constabulary erstwhile they filed a transgression report.

Both women are comparatively salient successful the Nicaraguan exile assemblage successful San José, a radical whose numbers person surged recently. Each is simply a vocal professional of the Ortega authorities and participated successful the country's anti-regime protests successful 2018.

Rayza is besides a instrumentalist and has written and performed songs captious of the regime. Her Facebook leafage is littered with photos of her attending protests and marches calling for Ortega's removal from office.

"I consciousness similar radical are watching me," said Berenice. "I nary longer consciousness safe. He was clear. It was a informing to halt f**king around. So, what happens tomorrow? Is it nary longer a warning? Is time an execution?"

CNN cannot verify if the attacker was Nicaraguan and Costa Rica constabulary would not remark connected the case.

Tens of thousands of Nicaraguans person fled their homeland and settled successful Costa Rica to debar persecution since 2018, erstwhile the authorities brutally cracked down connected wide anti-regime protests -- the opening of a caller escalation successful governmental repression successful the country.

Now the Ortega authorities is pursuing them crossed the border, they say.

The Costa Rican authorities denies that immoderate specified incursions into its territory person occurred. "We person ever been precise vigilant connected our borders," said Jorge Torres, Director of Costa Rica's Intelligence and Security Directorate, the country's main quality organization. "We are ever maintaining a speech [with Nicaragua] that shows respect to each other's sovereignty. We would not licence this benignant of threat."

But a elder authorities authoritative successful Costa Rica with heavy cognition of the concern told CNN that Nicaraguan quality operatives are so presently moving successful his state -- and that their numbers person risen since the 2018 fashionable exodus. Many of the operatives people Nicaraguan exiles, helium said.

"Yes, of people this is happening, I americium wholly definite that this is happening," said the official. "We person grounds that they travel present to bash quality successful Costa Rica and nonstop the accusation to the authorities of Nicaragua."

His authorities is hesitant to talk retired publically connected the contented for fearfulness of damaging diplomatic relations astatine a tenuous time, helium besides said.

Nicaraguan quality rights groups accidental they excessively person recorded dozens of suspected regime-sponsored attacks successful Costa Rica successful caller years, though proving the Nicaraguan authorities is down them is adjacent impossible.

More than a half-dozen exiles at the bureau of Unidad de Exiliados de Nicaraguenses, a Nicaraguan quality rights radical based successful Costa Rica, told CNN they had received threats.

The group's leader, Yefer Bravo, said his location had adjacent been changeable up by chartless assailants successful 2019 successful an onslaught helium believes was carried retired by Nicaraguan authorities agents. He said helium had antecedently been receiving threats online anterior to the shooting.

He reported the onslaught to Costa Rican constabulary astatine the clip but said nary suspects were ever recovered oregon arrested. Police would not remark connected his case.

"The threats person go much nonstop and concrete," said Bravo. "I americium perpetually moving the locations wherever I live."

His radical besides faced expanding harassment successful the months starring up to Sunday's elections. The threats chiefly travel online and don't go physical, helium said. Nevertheless, they often paralyze their recipients with fear.

Insults, stalking and decease threats

Jorge, who asked CNN to withhold his past sanction owed to information concerns, was progressive during anti-government protests successful 2018 successful his autochthonal Granada, a picturesque metropolis southbound of Managua, wherever helium was an progressive subordinate of the Catholic Church. He was besides a salient fig successful his vicinity -- which is why, helium believes, Nicaraguan constabulary arrested him successful January 2019.

He was held for 7 days successful a constabulary jailhouse compartment wherever helium says helium was tortured and interrogated. He provided CNN a representation of his leg, wherever a intelligibly disposable scar crossed astir his full thigh reads "Plomo." It means "lead" successful Spanish and is often utilized arsenic a decease threat, including successful Nicaragua wherever it is sometimes utilized arsenic an acronym for a pro-government slogan, 'Patria Libre O Morir' -- Free Fatherland Or Death. Jorge says constabulary carved it into his limb with a razor blade.

Police ne'er formally charged him with a crime, helium said. The Nicaraguan authorities did not respond to CNN's questions astir his case.

Nothing felt mean aft his release. "I was frightened of immoderate motorcycle passing by, immoderate car, immoderate noise. I was practically a captive successful the place...I didn't adjacent permission my room," said Jorge.

A fewer months later, helium says constabulary returned to his rental location and spray painted it with the words 'SI JODES, TE MORIS' -- if you F**K AROUND, YOU DIE.

His landlord promptly evicted him. Jorge fled to Guatemala wherever helium says helium felt harmless until a photograph appeared successful his Facebook Messenger inbox, from an relationship helium says belonged to a authorities collaborator. The representation showed him lasting astatine the autobus halt successful Guatemala that helium utilized each time to get to work.

"You thought the Guatemalans would instrumentality attraction of you...You and your household are going to wage successful blood," the accompanying substance read.

Jorge and his household fled again, this clip adjacent further north, to Mexico. He spoke to CNN from an undisclosed location. "My household and I bash not consciousness harmless due to the fact that we cognize what they tin do. We wouldn't beryllium the archetypal oregon the past Nicaraguan to beryllium murdered extracurricular the country," said Jorge.

The household of 5 is fundamentally surviving successful limbo, with his woman and 4 daughters, ages 20, 14, 12 and 8 wondering what's next.

The astir caller menace helium received came conscionable a fewer weeks ago. Jorge had added his sanction to a database of migrants, organized by a Mexican non-profit group, who were hoping to find a mode to legally question to the United States. A representation of that list, which showed his sanction and his state of origin, was again sent to his Facebook account.

"Hey, coup-plotter, did you deliberation we weren't going to find you? You and your household are going to wage for trying to bring down [Daniel Ortega]," work the accompanying text.

CNN has nary mode to verify if the accounts that sent these pictures are linked to the Nicaraguan government.

The Nicaraguan authorities does look to enactment a robust societal media beingness done troll factories, however. Meta said past week it precocious uncovered a government-backed troll workplace and removed astir 1,000 Facebook and Instagram accounts associated with promoting pro-government contented portion attacking absorption accounts.

With different word secured, wherever does it spell from here?

If these are the methods already employed by the Ortega regime, what mightiness Nicaraguans wrong and extracurricular of the state expect from a authorities recently emboldened by its triumph astatine the polls this play and different 5 years successful office?

"It could perchance get worse...if the authorities of Daniel Ortega stays successful power," said the elder Costa Rican authorities official. "Things volition get worse. I don't deliberation they would get better."

For truthful galore Nicaraguans who described harassment and fearfulness to CNN, determination is lone 1 mode retired of the nightmare: A coordinated unit run from the Nicaraguan diaspora and planetary assemblage to clasp real, escaped elections successful their location country, oregon other unit the Ortega authorities to relinquish powerfulness entirely.

Gone are their hopes for internal, antiauthoritarian pressure. In the existent clime of intimidation, protesters successful Nicaragua are banned from filling the streets, absorption candidates are swiftly arrested, and newspapers cannot study the information without fearfulness of retribution.

The unit indispensable travel externally, says Bravo, the caput of Unidad de Exiliados Nicaraguenses. No substance the threats that helium and his chap exiles mightiness receive, determination is simply a consciousness of work among them -- a feeling that they are liable for the absorption of their state and the lives of their countrymen inactive inside.

"If we don't bash thing for Nicaragua, if we don't rise our voices to the planetary community, if we don't unit the United Nations, the [Organization of American States], the US Congress, the European Union, to marque it wide what is happening successful Nicaragua, who other volition bash it?"