Protestas violentas en Nicaragua dejan al menos 5 muertos y 88 heridos

Managua, April 20 (EFE) (Image: Reneé Lucía Ramos).- Protests against the social security reforms approved by the Nicaraguan government continued today for the third consecutive day, and have already claimed the lives of at least five people and left 88 injured, several of them seriously. The protests, which began last Wednesday, continued in several cities across the country into Friday night, a day in which shootings were reported during demonstrations sparked by social security reforms that increase employer and employee contributions and establish perpetual contributions. An underage student died after being shot during an outbreak of violence in downtown Managua, the Nicaraguan Red Cross confirmed to Acan-Efe. The teenager was passing by and was not involved in the incident, according to his family. At the Polytechnic University of Nicaragua (Upoli), east of Managua, the second victim of the day was reported: a student who, according to witnesses, was shot in the heart. University students reported that government shock troops, known as "mobs," fired at protesters, a claim confirmed by Acan-Efe. Reports of live ammunition fired by the "mobs" against protesters have come from Upoli, the National University of Engineering (UNI), the Managua Cathedral, and the city of Masaya. The Nicaraguan Red Cross treated 27 injured people this Friday, 17 of whom required hospitalization due to their serious condition. Nicaraguan Bishop Silvio Báez reported today that hundreds of students who sought refuge in the Managua Cathedral were harassed by the National Police, a claim denied by the institution despite the evidence. Images released by protesters, both students and residents, show officers unsuccessfully attempting to enter the Managua Cathedral in the city center. The images also show police officers firing tear gas and other difficult-to-identify projectiles into the Catholic church. Similarly, there are videos showing officers stopping cars on the highways to confiscate water and food they believe are intended to support the students, while protecting aggressive, hooded individuals who claim to be on the government's side. Peaceful anti-government demonstrations, which included making noise with pots and pans at dusk, took place throughout Nicaragua, but the most violent outbreaks were reported in the cities of León, Managua, and Masaya. Nicaragua's private sector called this Friday for a large march for peace and dialogue next Monday and asked authorities to respect their right to demonstrate in the streets. Representatives of Nicaraguan employers also asked the government not to take the news off air.