Rosa Adelina Barahona Castro (born 10 May 1957) is a
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 ...
n psychologist and politician who has been the country's
Minister of Defence
A defence minister or minister of defence is a Cabinet (government), cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from coun ...
since August 2019.
Early life and education
Barahona Castro was born in Murra, Nueva Segovia on 10 May 1957. She attended the NS Mixed School Center from 1965 until 1969, and then Immaculate Conception School, both in
Ocotal
Ocotal () is the capital of the Nueva Segovia Department in Nicaragua, Central America and the municipal seat of Ocotal Municipality.
History
The region currently occupied by the city of Ocotal was occupied by different ethnic groups that had pro ...
. She has a degree in psychology from 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. ...
Sandinista Popular Army
The Sandinista Popular Army (SPA) (or People's Army; , EPS) was the military forces established in 1979 by the new Sandinista government of Nicaragua to replace the Nicaraguan National Guard, following the overthrow of Anastasio Somoza Debayle.
I ...
in 1979 and served as head of the Juana Elena Mondoza Women's Company in Esteli, as well as head of the Registration and Control section. She retired in 1992 with the rank of captain. She briefly worked as an independent consultant before taking on a number of roles in the Foundation for Women and Community Economic Developmen (FUMDEC) including Manager of the Organization and Gender Program from 1997, and Executive Director from 1998 to 2012.
Barahona Castro is a member of the ruling
Sandinista National Liberation Front
The Sandinista National Liberation Front ( es, Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional, FSLN) is a Socialism, socialist political party in Nicaragua. Its members are called Sandinistas () in both English and Spanish. The party is named after ...
, and on the party's board of directors. She has been member of the
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...
representing
Matagalpa
Matagalpa () is a city in Nicaragua which is the capital of the department of Matagalpa. The city has a population of 111,258 (2021 estimate),disputed re-election of
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 ...
. She was Deputy FSLN Bank Owner for two legislative periods, from 2012 to 2019. During her time in the Assembly, she did not personally present any bills, but supported FSLN initiatives including Amnesty, reform of the electoral Law and amendments to the
Constitution
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of Legal entity, entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed.
When ...
. She was vice president of the Health and Social Security Commission.
Barahona Castro was appointed Minister of Defence by
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
Ortega on August 19, 2019, replacing
Martha Elena Ruiz Sevilla
Martha Elena Ruiz Sevilla is a Nicaraguan politician and lawyer who has served as Minister of Defence from 2013 to 2019.
Early life and education
Ruiz Sevilla is from Acoyapa. She has a Masters in Law from the Charles University in Prague.
Care ...
.
As an official of the Government of Nicaragua, Barahona Castro has been officially sanctioned by the
United States Department of the Treasury
The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States, where it serves as an executive department. The department oversees the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and t ...
for refusing "to disarm and dismantle" and providing weapons to "the parapolice that committed acts of violence against Nicaraguans." She is a signatory to the manifesto "In defence of Nicaragua, which accuses the US and European countries of a "ruthless campaign of lies and blackmail" against Ortega.