U.S. blasts Nicaragua 'campaign of terror' as global condemnation grows

FILE PHOTO: A woman sits next to an image of Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega in Catarina, Nicaragua October 1, 2020.REUTERS/Oswaldo Rivas/File Photo

(Reuters) -International pressure mounted on Nicaragua on Tuesday, with President Daniel Ortega's crackdown on the opposition described by Washington as a "campaign of terror" that the United Nations said meant November elections were unlikely to be free or fair.

Ortega's government has arrested at least 14 political opponents in recent weeks, including five presidential candidates, ahead of the elections in which the long-ruling leader will run for a fourth consecutive term.