2023-12-16 23:27:41
Daniel Ortega’s regime managed to turn the coronation of Sheynnis Palacios as Miss Universe 2023 into the perfect occasion to show the world its ugliest side. The 23-year-old Nicaraguan had not finished processing her historic victory – she is the first Central American to win the iconic contest – when her country’s government decided that persecuting opponents, journalists, artists and priests was not enough and added to the list from her enemies to Karen Celebertti, symbol of beauty pageants in Nicaragua.
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Celebertti managed the Miss Nicaragua franchise for 23 years and reached the summit with the election of Palacios as the most beautiful in the world on November 18 in El Salvador. The feat turned into a nightmare two weeks later. The Nicaraguan Police, which responds to the interests of Ortega and his wife and vice president, Rosario Murillo, raided Celebertti’s house and accused her; her husband, Martín Argüello, and their son, Bernardo, for conspiracy, organized crime and treason.
Celebertti was prohibited from returning to Nicaragua and is exiled in Mexico with her daughter. Her mother, husband and son were able to return, but they were detained shortly after entering the country, one day after the pageant. The pageant entrepreneur announced last Monday her withdrawal from the Miss Nicaragua organization, without alluding to the government’s actions against her.
According to the authorities, who have not shown evidence, Celebertti and his family committed crimes to disturb the peace and incite hatred, violence, terrorism and organized crime.
Karen Celebertti with her husband Martín Argüello. (Facebook)
They also accused the organization of the contest in Nicaragua of using the franchise, platforms “and spaces supposedly dedicated to promoting innocent beauty contests, in a conspiracy that has worked orchestrated to turn the contests into traps and political ambushes, financed by foreign agents.”
On the streets
One of the reasons for the regime’s attack against Celebertti and his contest were the massive expressions of joy seen in the streets after Palacios’ victory, despite the fact that Nicaragua has had a ban on demonstrating on public roads since the anti-government protests in April. of 2018 that left more than 300 dead and that Ortega described as an attempted coup d’état supported by the US.
The president of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega and his wife, the vice president, Rosario Murillo. (AP Photo/Alfredo Zúñiga)
Authorities say that the now former director of Miss Nicaragua and her family supported those protests and planned to take to the streets “again” in December of this year.
Although the regime initially celebrated Palacios’ victory and even visited her family, it later accused the opposition of using the achievement to its advantage because the young woman participated in the 2018 demonstrations, which had already put her in the crosshairs of the Sandinismo since she won Miss Nicaragua. Photos of the queen raising the flag of her country in marches have resurfaced in recent weeks.
Palacios was born into a humble family in Diriamba, in the western department of Carazo, and studied Social Communication at the Jesuit Universidad Centroamericana (UCA), confiscated last August by the government, describing it as a “center of terrorism.”
When announcing her retirement, Celebertti highlighted that “Miss Nicaragua always grew up clean of political roots” and that Sheynnis Palacios’ crown is “an achievement of every Nicaraguan without any political distinction.”
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The Nicaraguan opponents and press in exile have closed ranks in favor of Celebertti. The queen has also expressed her support: “Thank you, Mrs. Karen Celebertti, for all the time we worked together (…) The love for our country shines in everything you do and I can’t wait to see what comes your way next.” Palacios wrote on his social networks.
The Miss Universe Organization asked the Nicaraguan government to “guarantee” the safety of those affiliated with the pageant’s local competition and Anne Jakrajutatip, owner of the pageant, said she was “very proud” of Celebertti’s work and wished her husband and son “stay strong.”
What’s next for the Celebertti family is unknown. The local press indicates that the next objective of the Ortega regime will be to take over the Miss Universe franchise in the country to continue its strategy of wanting to control everything in Nicaragua.
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