From national pride to political dissident. In one night. On November 18th, Nicaragua won the “Miss Universe” for the first time: Sheynnis Palacios, 23, was crowned in El Salvador. But photos of Palacios at peaceful demonstrations in 2018 circulated on social media in what Daniel Ortega's authoritarian government described as an “attempted coup.” Now Karen Celebertti, head of the local franchise, Miss Nicaragua, has been forced to resign and accused of “conspiracy” like a terrorist.
Both Celebertti and Palacios did not return home after the evening, which was celebrated as a sporting triumph in Managua with crowds in the streets and flags. Flags that characterized the protests of 2018, which have since become illegal: they were born against the pension reform, expressed their dissatisfaction with the system of power and the catastrophic economic conditions, and then were brutally repressed (at least 355 victims, 700,000 people who fled abroad , especially towards). USA and Costa Rica).
Celebertti and her daughter Luciana were prevented from returning home from El Salvador on November 22nd. According to local media, her home in the capital was searched and both her husband Martín Argüello and her son Bernardo were arrested. The accusation is “treason”. The former model, who has staged Miss Nicaragua since 2001, is accused of orchestrating the selection for political reasons. She also resigned to secure her release. “Love for our country is evident in everything you have done,” said Palacios, who sought refuge in Indonesia, in a post.
Initially, the government had celebrated Palacios' victory “with pride and joy” in a statement not signed by the presidential couple Ortega-Rosario Murillo, but corrected its tone, which was immediately repeated by the state media as soon as the shootings made the rounds of the past. An ambiguous behavior: while the letter of praise was issued to the “beautiful representative”, it was ordered that she should not be allowed to embark after the competition. On television they even accused her of studying at the Central American University, which was closed last August when Jesuit assets in the country were confiscated.
In 2018, the young woman took to the streets with Carlos Mejía Godoy, a singer-songwriter who distanced himself from Sandinismo and now lives in exile. Palacios said in vain that he had never been involved in politics. Just because he supported her on social media, TikToker Giovanny López Acevedo was arrested and two artists were forced to erase with white paint the mural dedicated to her in the town of Estelí. “For 23 years I have worked diligently to glorify the name of my country – Celebertti's Farewell. I did it with transparency, love and belief in Nicaraguan talent and beauty in every corner of the country.” The night of “historic” triumph to which she contributed gave hope to a dispirited country, to the point that the Miss Universe crown made the police state tremble.