Daniel Ortega - Despot

 One time darling of left-wingers Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua has become a dictator.

Nicaraguan authorities have detained yet another candidate in the November presidential elections on trumped-up charges.

Right-winger Berenice Quezada was detained at her home late on Tuesday night and placed under house arrest, according to her party the Citizens Alliance for Liberty (ACXL). A complaint of “terrorism crime” had been filed against Quezada on Tuesday to the electoral council over her critical remarks about a lack of freedoms in Nicaragua.   

She is the eighth challenger to Ortega to be arrested since May. The other seven candidates and about two dozen opposition leaders have been arrested on vague treason charges.

 Most of those arrested in the crackdown are being held incommunicado, at undisclosed locations and with no access to lawyers. The detained opposition figures have been accused of "treason" and threatening "sovereignty," under a controversial law initiated by Ortega and approved by parliament in December. They are accused of supporting foreign sanctions and interference but the law has been widely criticized as a means of freezing out challengers and silencing opponents.

Ortega is to stand for a fourth consecutive term in November's general election. Ortega's wife, Vice-President Rosario Murillo, will again be his running mate. He pushed through a constitutional amendment that scrapped presidential term limits, opening the way for him to remain president for life.