use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , body_discovered = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinates = , burial_place = , burial_coordinates = , monuments = , nationality = , other_names = , siglum = , citizenship =

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the cou ...

, education = , alma_mater = , occupation =

Lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

Human rights activist A human rights defender or human rights activist is a person who, individually or with others, acts to promote or protect human rights. They can be journalists, environmentalists, whistleblowers, trade unionists, lawyers, teachers, housing campai ...

, years_active = , era = , employer = , organization = , known_for = , notable_works = , style = , title = , term = , predecessor = , successor = , party =

Sandinista Renovation Movement The Sandinista Renovation Movement (''Movimiento Renovador Sandinista'' or MRS, in Spanish) is a Nicaraguan political party founded on 21 May 1995. It defines itself as a democratic and progressive party, made of women and men, which promotes the ...

, movement = , opponents = , boards = , criminal_charges = , criminal_penalty = , criminal_status = , spouse = , partner = , children = , parents = , mother = , father = , relatives = , family = Tamara Dávila (niece) , callsign = , awards = , website = , module = , module2 = , module3 = , module4 = , module5 = , module6 = , signature = , signature_size = , signature_alt = , footnotes = Ana Margarita Vijil Gurdián is a Nicaraguan lawyer, political leader and human rights activist. She is former president, from 2012 to 2017, of the

(MRS) and a member of the Unamos party that succeeded the MRS.

Biography

After studying law at university, Vijil began her career working at the

Central American University José Simeón Cañas Central American University ( es, Universidad Centroamericana "José Simeón Cañas"), also known as UCA El Salvador, is a private university with nonprofit purposes in San Salvador, El Salvador, run by the Society of Jesus. ...

, then in

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...

on the territorial dispute between Nicaragua and Colombia. She left to join

Herty Lewites Herty Lewites Rodríguez (December 24, 1939 – July 2, 2006) was a Nicaraguan politician. He was Mayor of Managua and a candidate for president in the 2006 Nicaraguan general election when he died suddenly. Early life and involvement in the N ...

' 2006 presidential campaign under the

(MRS) banner, but Lewites died four months before the 2006 election and the FSLN's

Daniel Ortega José Daniel Ortega Saavedra (; born 11 November 1945) is a Nicaraguans, Nicaraguan revolutionary and politician serving as President of Nicaragua since 2007. Previously he was leader of Nicaragua from 1979 to 1990, first as coordinator of the ...

was elected. From 2008 to 2010, Vijil was a

Fulbright fellow The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of ...

, earning a master's in political science in

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

in the United States. From 2012 to 2017, Vijil was president of the MRS and after the government banned it, became a member of the successor party, Democratic Renovation Unity (Unamos). In October 2018, following the protests that had broken out in April and the bloody government repression that ensued, Vijil was part of a sit-in on Camino de Oriente that led to her arrest when police shut down the demonstration; she was released the next day. In June 2021 Vijil was part of a wave of arrests of opposition candidates for president and other opposition figures. She was arrested at her home on June 13, 2021, with former Sandinista commander

Dora María Téllez Dora María Téllez Argüello (born 1955) is a Nicaraguan historian known for her involvement in the Nicaraguan Revolution. As a young university medical student in León in the 1970s, Téllez was recruited by the Sandinista National Liberation ...

, who is famous for her role in a 1978 raid to free 60 Sandinista political prisoners. Vijil's niece Tamara Dávila was arrested the night before.Díaz López, Karen
"Policía Captura a Los Opositores Dora María Téllez, Ana Margarita Vijil, Suyén Barahona, Hugo Torres y Víctor Hugo Tinoco."
''La Prensa'', June 13, 2021, via ProQuest Like most of the others arrested, they are accused of violations of controversial

Law 1055 Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

, passed in December 2020, which gives the government unilateral power to arrest anyone it designates as a “traitor to the homeland”.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vijil, Ana Margarita Nicaraguan women lawyers Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 21st-century Nicaraguan lawyers

Biography

See also

References