"Nicaragua’s Free Trade Zone Multinationals Ask Ortega to End Repression", 1 Jul 2018

The main brands of clothing, footwear and other industries operating in Nicaragua’s Free Trade Zones issued a statement...demanding that the government...respect the rule of law, cease repression and guarantee freedom of assembly and expression. The companies that made this request to the Ortega government are Adidas, Patagonia, New Balance, Nike, Fanatics, Fair Labor Association, Under Armor, Gap Inc., and the American Apparel & Footwear Association. They all signed a letter addressed to Ortega with a copy to the national authorities and the Higher Council of Private Enterprise (Cosep). “We write to express our concern regarding the current political and social crisis in Nicaragua that we believe threatens not only the rights, the means of subsistence and the physical integrity of the workers, but also the capacity of the industries of Nicaragua that export around the world“.... The companies state that the national situation has impacted on their workers and their operations. As such they urge the Government to take the necessary measures to ensure respect for the rule of law, to end the excessive use of force by the National Police... “We were encouraged by the agreement of June 15 between the Government and civic groups in which great hopes have been placed for a peaceful solution to the crisis. We urge your administration to continue... Finally, we recommend that you act in accordance with the recommendations in the report issued by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights...