WASHINGTON _ College students have emerged as the most potent opponents to Nicaraguan leader Daniel Ortega, and this week, three of them are visiting Washington to ask for help from President Donald Trump and Congress in toppling the autocratic leader.
The peaceful protests in Managua that quickly turned into a political uprising two months ago has now led to the deaths of at least 113 people and more than 1,000 injuries. These include classmates of Zayda Juniette Hernandez, a 24-year-old chemical engineering student and one of the most outspoken leaders in the unexpected student movement _ the biggest threat to the Ortega presidency since he was re-elected in 2007.
Just a few weeks ago, Hernandez was returning back to school in Managua after playing tour guide for friends visiting colonial Nicaragua when she learned of classmates in a standoff with Nicaraguan security forces.
