US sanctions 100 Nicaraguan municipal officials over rights abuses

FILE PHOTO: A woman leaves the Jesuit Central American University (UCA) in Managua, Nicaragua August 16, 2023. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo

SAN JOSE (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department on Saturday sanctioned 100 Nicaraguan municipal officials accused of participating in human rights violations for their roles in the closure of a popular university and jailing of a prominent bishop.

The sanctions include a ban on travel to the United States. The officials are accused of repressing civil society and closing civic spaces such as the Central American University (UCA), a Jesuit school that was seized by the government this week.