Michael Healy Lacayo ( – 25 January 2024) was a Nicaraguan businessman. He was president of the

Superior Council for Private Enterprise The Superior Council for Private Enterprise (Consejo Superior de la Empresa Privada, or COSEP) is a leading business chamber in Nicaragua. As of September 2020, its president is Michael Healy, elected to a three-year term. He succeeded José Ad� ...

, Nicaragua’s leading business chamber, from September 2020 until his arrest in October 2021 in a wave of repression of opposition figures by

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 ...

’s government in the run-up to the 2021 Nicaraguan presidential election. He was one of 222 prisoners exiled by Ortega in February 2023.

Business and civic career

Michael Healy was president of the Union of Agricultural Producers of Nicaragua (UPANIC), as a sugar cane and banana producer. He was also vice-president of the

(COSEP), the country’s leading business chamber. In this capacity, Healy joined the 2018 national dialogues following the outbreak of protests against President Daniel Ortega, in which the

Inter-American Court of Human Rights The Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR or IACtHR) is an international court based in San José, Costa Rica. Together with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, it was formed by the American Convention on Human Rights, a huma ...

(IACHR) reported that at least 328 were killed. Until the unilateral social security reforms that touched off the protests, COSEP had been aligned with Ortega. Healy was a member of the

Civic Alliance for Justice and Democracy Civic is something related to a city or municipality. It also can refer to multiple other things: General *Civics, the science of comparative government *Civic engagement, the connection one feels with their larger community *Civic center, a comm ...

, an opposition group that emerged from the protests. In August 2018, the IACHR ordered protective measures for Healy. In September 2020, Healy was elected to a three-year term as president of COSEP. In October 2021, Healy was arrested on allegations of money laundering and terrorism under

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 ...

, three weeks before the

2021 Nicaraguan general election General elections were held in Nicaragua on 7 November 2021 to elect the President, the National Assembly and members of the Central American Parliament. President Daniel Ortega of the Sandinista National Liberation Front sought re-election, ...

. His predecessor as COSEP president and contender for the presidency of Nicaragua, José Adán Aguerri, had been arrested and held since June 2021 on similar charges, one of dozens of opposition figures

’s administration arrested. In April 2022, Healy was tried and convicted in a secret trial for which he was not permitted a defense. After 16 months in prison, Healy was one of 222 prisoners exiled to the United States on 9 February 2023. The Ortega administration subsequently stripped the exilées of their nationality and confiscated their property.

Personal life and death

Healy was born around 1962. He was married to Rossana Argüello, with whom he had three children. Healy died of a heart attack in

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...

, on 25 January 2024, at the age of 61.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Healy Lacayo, Michael 1960s births Year of birth uncertain 2024 deaths Nicaraguan businesspeople Agriculturalists Nicaraguan prisoners and detainees Opposition to Daniel Ortega Nicaraguan exiles