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'World is Watching,' Pence Warns Nicaragua 


Members of Nicaragua's Special Forces patrol the streets after clashes with anti-government protesters in the Sandino neighborhood in Jinotepe, Nicaragua, July 24, 2018.
Members of Nicaragua's Special Forces patrol the streets after clashes with anti-government protesters in the Sandino neighborhood in Jinotepe, Nicaragua, July 24, 2018.

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence is demanding that the Daniel Ortega government in Nicaragua stop the violence now and hold early elections.

"The world is watching," Pence tweeted Tuesday. "State-sponsored violence in Nicaragua is undeniable. Ortega's propaganda fools no one and changes nothing."

Pence wrote that more than 350 had died "at the hands of the regime." Nicaraguan officials say the death toll is much lower.

WATCH: Nicaragua Struggles Amid National Political Crisis

Nicaragua Struggles Amid National Political Crisis
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A Nicaraguan human rights group said four more people were killed Monday night in Managua, including a Brazilian medical student on the verge of graduating.

The group accused pro-government civilians of firing on the car in which she was riding near the American University of Managua.

The Brazilian foreign ministry expressed indignation at the killing and condemned "the deepening repression, the disproportionate and lethal use of force, and the use of paramilitary groups in operations coordinated by security forces."

Anti-government protests erupted in Nicaragua in April when Ortega announced changes to the pension system. He has since given up those plans, but authorities continue to crack down on protesters.

Ortega has called the protesters terrorists who are planning a coup. He is refusing to hold early elections, saying they would only make things worse.

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