Nicaragua leaders face backlash after forming space agency amid human rights crisis

Critics say President Daniel Ortega is attempting to distract from his dismal human rights record and poor response to the pandemic

Nicaragua has created a new National Ministry for Extraterrestrial Space Affairs, The Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, prompting scorn from critics in a nation experiencing a steady erosion of human rights since a brutal crackdown on anti-government protests three years ago.

The new space agency was approved by 76 legislators Wednesday in the country's congress, which is dominated by the Sandinista party of Daniel Ortega, the president. Fifteen opposition legislators abstained.