Whereas, on April 19, 2018, protests began in Managua, Nicaragua, as a result of changes made to the social security system by the Ortega regime that would have raised workers’ contributions and cut retirees’ pensions; Whereas Transparency International’s 2017 Corruption Perceptions Index ranks Nicaragua as tied for 151 of 180, the third worst ranking for a country in the Western Hemisphere, after Venezuela and Haiti; Whereas numerous media outlets have reported on allegations regarding the involvement of Nicaraguan government officials in corruption, including misappropriating billions of dollars provided to Nicaragua by the Government of Venezuela; Whereas, on April 23, 2018, tens of thousands of people—workers, students, farmers, and representatives of the private sectors—demonstrated in Managua demanding an end to the repression, with some calling for the departure of the President of Nicaragua Daniel Ortega; Whereas, on April 24, 2018, the United Nations called on the Government of Nicaragua to carry out prompt, thorough, independent and transparent investigations into these deaths, saying a number of the killings may have been unlawful ; Whereas, on May 13, 2018, the Catholic Church organized a national dialogue between the protesters and the Government of Nicaragua; Whereas, on May 17, 2018, the Executive Secretary of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights of the Organization of American States, Paulo Abrão, arrived in Nicaragua to investigate the human rights violations that took place during the recent protests; Whereas, on May 21, 2018, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights of the Organization of American States issued a statement that described the excessive use of force by Nicaraguan security forces and armed irregular groups that resulted in dozens of persons killed and hundreds wounded; illegal and arbitrary detentions; practices of torture, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment; censorship and attacks on the press; and other forms of intimidation