Nicaraguan government agrees to release prisoners to restart dialogue

The Nicaraguan government said on Wednesday it would release within 90 days all people arrested during several months of protests against President Daniel Ortega, as a step to restarting dialogue with opposition groups.

At least 320 people have been killed, many more wounded, and several hundred detained in a crackdown on protests that were triggered last April by a social security reform but quickly swelled into a national call to oust Ortega. Government talks resumed with the opposition last month after a first attempt at agreement fell apart, but broke down again when the opposition made talks conditional on the release of political prisoners. In a joint statement with opposition leaders, the government said it would release people arrested since April 18 of last year.

About 500 people remain in prison, according to Civic Alliance, a group that is part of the opposition. (Reporting by Ismael Lopez; Writing by Daina Beth Solomon and Peter Cooney)