WASHINGTON _ Lawmakers are calling on the Trump administration to investigate the Nicaraguan government's alleged role in the deaths of as many as 40 people during violent protests that have threatened Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega's grip on power.
New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is leading a bipartisan group of senators pressing President Donald Trump's administration to work with the Organization of American States to open an investigation into the deaths of dozens of protesters and consider punishing officials who, they say, have censored the media and fostered a corrupt system that has propelled Nicaraguans to protest, according to a letter obtained by McClatchy.
"These events are emblematic of the impunity and arbitrary abuse of power present in Nicaragua and reinforce protesters' demands for a national dialogue that includes reforms to ensure the independence of political and judicial institutions," the lawmakers wrote in the joint letter.
