Nicaraguan political activist shot in Costa Rica, in critical condition

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SAN JOSE, Sept. 12 (Reuters) – A Nicaraguan political activist who opposes President Daniel Ortega’s government is in critical condition in a Costa Rican hospital after being shot, police and activists said Sunday.

Joao Maldonado, a well-known demonstration leader in 2018 in the Jinotepe municipality of southwestern Nicaragua, was shot twice in the chest and another in the arm on Saturday evening in Escazu, 10 km (6 miles) west of Costa Rica’s capital, San Jose, a police spokeswoman said.

Yefer Bravo, of the Nicaraguan Exile Unit in Costa Rica, said Maldonado, 32, had staged a protest against Ortega’s government for Sunday in San Jose. The demonstration went on, but turnout was low.

A Nicaraguan government official did not immediately respond to the request for comment.

Maldonado underwent emergency surgery, his wife Nadia Robleto said.

More than 80,000 Nicaraguans have sought refuge in neighboring Costa Rica since the 2018 protests; the figures had risen in the past three months when the Ortega government slowed down opposition politicians and activists.

Report by Alvaro Murillo in San José; Edited by Daniel Wallis

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