Tamara Dávila Rivas (born c. 1981)[1] is a Nicaraguan sociologist, feminist and political activist. She is a member of Union for Democratic Renewal (Unamos); the Political Council of the National Unity Blue and White opposition group; and the executive committee of the unified opposition front, the National Coalition. On June 13, 2021, she was part of a wave of arrests of opposition figures by the government of Daniel Ortega.
Tamara Dávila | |
|---|---|
 Dávila in 2019 | |
| Born | Daysi Tamara Dávila Rivas c. 1981 (age 42–43) |
| Nationality | Nicaraguan |
| Alma mater | University of Huelva Central American University |
| Occupation | Psychologist |
| Political party | Unamos |
Early life
editTamara Dávila is the daughter of late Sandinista revolutionaries Sadie María Rivas Reed and Irving Dávila Escobar.[2] After her mother died in a car accident in 1999, her father remarried María Josefina Vigil Gurdián, sister of Ana Margarita Vijil,[2] former president of the Sandinista Renovation Movement (MRS).[3] Dávila is thus considered Vijil's niece.[2]
She is a psychologist who has worked in the social field,[4] fighting for human rights and gender equality.[5] She has a master's degree in Gender, Identity and Citizenship from the University of Huelva in Spain as well as a master's in Social Policies, Rights and Protagonism of Children and Adolescents from the Central American University (UCA).[4]
Activism
edit
Dávila has been politically active in the anti-government protests that began in 2018, participating in demonstrations and once getting arrested.[4] She is a member of Union for Democratic Renewal (Unamos) and the Political Council of the National Unity Blue and White opposition group.[3] In July 2020, she was named as one of its representatives to the executive committee of the unified opposition, the National Coalition.[1]
Because of harassment Dávila faced for her human rights work, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) issued precautionary measures intended to ensure her safety.[4]
On June 12, 2021, Dávila was arrested by the government of Daniel Ortega in a series of arrests of opposition candidates for president and other opposition leaders.[3] Her house was raided while she was home with her four-year-old daughter and the police subsequently released a statement indicating she, like many of the other arrested opposition figures, was being investigated for alleged “acts that undermine independence, sovereignty, and self-determination", that is, violating the controversial Law 1055, called the Guillotine Law by critics.[3] It was one of four laws passed in December 2020 granting broad power to the government to make a unilateral designation of citizens as “traitors to the homeland”.[6][7]
Two days after her arrest, the Public Prosecutor's Office announced Dávila and others would be held for 90 days of preventative detention while being investigated.[8]
Vijil was arrested on June 13 at her home with former Sandinista commander Dora María Téllez, who was also arrested.[8]
On 19 July 2021, the IACHR ruled that Dávila was in a situation of “extreme gravity, urgency and imminent danger of irreparable damage to [her] rights” and issued precautionary measures to protect her and her immediate family members, including ordering her immediate release by the Nicaraguan government.[9]
References
edit- ^ a b Álvarez, Leonor. "Estos Son Los 21 Delegados Que Integran El Comité De La Coalición Nacional." La Prensa, July 15, 2020 via ProQuest.
- ^ a b c Cruz, Eduardo (2021-06-19). "Pinita Gurdián escribe carta en la que denuncia las "desapariciones" de su hija Ana Margarita Vijil y su nieta Tamara Dávila". La Prensa (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-07-17.
- ^ a b c d "Policía Arresta a La Opositora Tamara Dávila." La Prensa, June 13, 2021, via ProQuest.
- ^ a b c d "Quiénes son los 16 detenidos por el régimen orteguista en Nicaragua". Confidencial (in Spanish). 2021-06-16. Archived from the original on 2021-06-23. Retrieved 2021-06-20.
- ^ "Régimen continúa cacería de opositores: Policía detiene a Tamara Dávila". Artículo 66 (in Spanish). 2021-06-13. Archived from the original on 2021-06-24. Retrieved 2021-06-20.
- ^ "Policía arresta a la activista y miembro de la Unab, Támara Dávila". Confidencial (in Spanish). 2021-06-13. Archived from the original on 2021-06-16. Retrieved 2021-06-20.
- ^ "Nicaragua arrests more opposition leaders in crackdown ahead of election". CBC. June 13, 2021. Archived from the original on June 17, 2021. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
- ^ a b Díaz López, Karen. "Régimen Impone 90 Días De Detención a Tamara Dávila y Dora María Téllez." Archived 2021-06-24 at the Wayback Machine La Prensa, Jun 14, 2021, via ProQuest.
- ^ "Corte IDH otorga medidas provisionales en favor de Tamara Dávila y sus familiares". La Prensa (in Spanish). 2021-07-19. Retrieved 2021-07-19.