(2 Jun 2018) Police in Nicaragua say a police officer, protester and pro-government activist have been killed in clashes over a planned social security reform.
Video shows police firing tear gas and live ammunition at the student protesters.
On April 20th 2018, a gravely injured police officer was rushed to the hospital after violent clashes with student protesters erupted outside of the National University of Engineering.
The National Police said an officer was killed April 19th by a shotgun blast and the protester died as a result of "a dispute between gangs".
It identified the protester as a student at the National Polytechnic University.
It said the activist was killed by a gunshot in Tipitapa, a city outside of the capital of Managua where supporters of the Sandinista government have been involved in clashes.
The protests started after the government increased payroll taxes and changed pensions to try to shore up Nicaragua's troubled social security system.
The government has ordered five independent TV channels that have been covering the unrest off the air.
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Tens of thousands of Nicaraguans marched on April 23rd in the capital to protest government repression and call for peace after several days of violent demonstrations set off by a social security overhaul.
Human rights groups say clashes between police and protesters left nearly 30 dead since people took to the streets last week to oppose tax hikes and benefit cuts meant to shore up the ailing social security system.
President Daniel Ortega withdrew the changes on April 22nd.
The street protests have largely been led by university students and have appeared to expand to include broader anti-government grievances.
They have at times met violent police repression and attacks from Sandinista youth and motorcycle-riding thugs.
Outside Managua's prison, relatives of the detained during the clashes waited for news of their their loved ones.
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Violent clashes erupted in the streets of Masaya on June 2nd between protesters and police as violence and social unrest continue to grip Nicaragua.
More than 110 people have been killed in the country since mid-April amid clashes between forces loyal to President Daniel Ortega and opposition groups demanding his removal.
In the city of Masaya, protesters fired projectiles and mortars at police from behind barricades.
One masked protester said the people of Nicaragua have "tired" of Ortega and that they would not "surrender."
The rise of criminal gangs has led residents in several cities to organize neighborhood watch groups with barricades.
The Red Cross reported that two people manning barricades in the city of Masaya were fatally shot June 2nd.
In Managua, meanwhile, a US citizen was found shot to death in the street after he left a bar late on Friday to help a friend who was being attacked.
Leading businessmen in Nicaragua have proposed moving up the presidential election that is now scheduled for 2021.
Ortega has been president since 2007.
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