Nicaragua bans 7 OAS officials from entering country

MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) — Nicaragua's government has banned seven officials from the Organization of American States who were scheduled to arrive in the capital of Managua, opposition leaders said Saturday.

Five of those banned were members of a special commission created to monitor the Central American country's ongoing political crisis.

Jailed student leader Nahiroby Olivas told The Associated Press that an OAS secretariat notified him that the trip was being canceled "because the government would not allow (officials) to enter the country."

Olivas is a member of an opposition coalition and was set to meet with commission representatives following their expected arrival on Monday.

Unrest began in Nicaragua in April 2018 after protests over changes to social security broadened to demand President Daniel Ortega's exit from office. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights found that more than 325 people were subsequently killed in a government crackdown on dissenters.

Azahálea Solís, who is the leader of the opposition Civic Alliance, told the AP that the group would "meet immediately to analyze what happened and establish a position."