Nicaragua expels 6 detained foreign environmental activists

MANAGUA, Nicaragua – Nicaragua has expelled six foreign environmental activists after they were detained on allegations of handling explosive substances without authorization, a lawyer and the Mexican government said Tuesday.

Monica Lopez Baltodano, an environmental attorney who has been in contact with authorities since the activists were taken into custody, said four Mexican nationals were deported to Honduras on Monday night and an Argentine and a Costa Rican were sent to Costa Rica.

Mexican Foreign Relations Department official Jacobo Prado also confirmed the deportation of the four Mexicans in comments to MVS Radio, saying they had been contacted and were in good health.

Nicaraguan authorities have not commented on the reason for the expulsions, but had announced that they would not file charges against the foreigners.

“They were released and deported without any official explanation,” said Lopez Baltodano, the attorney.

The six activists were part of a caravan that has been holding workshops on ecological projects in poor Central American communities in recent months.

They were detained Saturday after there was an explosion during a workshop on making low-fuel-consumption ovens in a town in Nueva Guinea, in southern Nicaragua.

About two weeks ago, Nicaragua expelled three recently arrived U.S. government officials whom it accused of conducting anti-terrorism and -drug work without local authorization.

Earlier in June, Nicaraguan authorities detained and expelled a Mexican citizen who they alleged had faked his own disappearance to hurt the image of the Nicaraguan government.

On Monday, Mexico advised its citizens who are in or may travel to Nicaragua to contact their embassy if they suspect they could be detained.