OSINT of Nicaragua
This post is part of UNISHKA Research Service’s ongoing OSINT series. If you’re interested in learning more, subscribe to our Substack and follow us on social media to stay in the loop. You can also visit our website to explore all the toolkits we’ve created so far: www.unishka.com/osint-world-series.
We regularly share country-specific OSINT toolkits, along with case studies, investigative tips, and real-world examples to support open-source investigations. Our goal is to provide journalists, analysts, and engaged citizens with actionable resources and insights.
If we’ve missed any good sources, just drop us a comment or send an email to abawer@unishka.com — we’ll make sure to add them to the toolkit!
We sincerely thank Mikel Viteri, an OSINT researcher, for collaborating with UNISHKA on the development of this toolkit. Other toolkits by Mikel are: Venezuela, Colombia, Argentina, Peru, and Brazil.
Entry #50 OSINT World Series
Open Data Portals
INIDE (Instituto Nacional de Información de Desarrollo) - Nicaragua’s national statistics institute — censuses, population, poverty, health, and demographic surveys.
BCN (Banco Central de Nicaragua) - Economic indicators, inflation, exchange rates, trade balance, and annual publications including ‘Nicaragua en Cifras’.
World Bank Data – Nicaragua – Development indicators, GDP, poverty, governance metrics.
IMF – Nicaragua – Macroeconomic outlook, Article IV consultations, debt and inflation data.
ECLAC (CEPAL) – Economic and social analysis by the UN regional commission for Latin America and the Caribbean.
Humanitarian Data Exchange – Humanitarian datasets, crisis indicators, and displacement data.
ReliefWeb – Nicaragua - Humanitarian situation reports, NGO updates, and crisis response data.
OEC – Observatory of Economic Complexity – Interactive trade and export data visualizations for Nicaragua.
UN Comtrade – Nicaragua – Official UN trade statistics.
BOLSANIC (Bolsa de Valores de Nicaragua) – Stock exchange transactions and securities data.
Nicaragua Migration Data (IOM) – International Organization for Migration data on Nicaraguan displacement and emigration trends.
RPINIC (Registro de Propiedad Intelectual) – Nicaragua’s intellectual property registry — trademarks and patents.
Company Registries & Business Information
Registro Público de Nicaragua – Official public registry for companies and properties. Online queries available by company name or NAM (Número Absoluto Mercantil).
MIFIC (Ministerio de Fomento, Industria y Comercio) – Ministry portal with commercial regulations, investment procedures, and trade information.
DGI – RUC Taxpayer Lookup – Verify RUC (Registro Único del Contribuyente) — Nicaragua’s business tax ID.
OpenSanctions – Nicaragua – Sanctioned individuals and entities in Nicaragua.
OpenCorporates – Global open corporate data, including some Nicaraguan business records.
Info-Clipper – Nicaragua Company Search – Dun & Bradstreet-powered company profiles, directors, and credit data for Nicaraguan firms.
ICEX España – Nicaragua – Spanish trade intelligence reports on Nicaragua’s commercial environment.
CAMANICA (Cámara de Industrias de Nicaragua) – Industry chamber data and business association information.
Land & Property Records
Registro Público (Property Registry) – Handles real estate deeds, property transfers, mortgages, and encumbrances. Online status lookups available.
INETER (Instituto Nicaragüense de Estudios Territoriales) – Geographic and cadastral data, land use maps, and hazard assessments.
MARENA (Ministerio del Ambiente y los Recursos Naturales) – Environmental permits, protected area data, and land concessions.
People Search & Civil Records
CSE (Consejo Supremo Electoral) – Online voter verification, electoral rolls lookup, and polling station assignment using Cédula de Identidad number. (Try using a VPN if you’re unable to access the website.)
CSE – Registro Civil – Births, marriages, deaths, divorces, and civil status records. Nicaragua’s civil registry is administered by the CSE. (Try using a VPN if you’re unable to access the website.)
CSE – Cedulación (ID verification) – Citizen ID (Cédula) verification, renewal status, and certification requests. (Try using a VPN if you’re unable to access the website.)
CSE – Verificación Ciudadana en Línea – Look up an individual’s voting center using their Cédula number. (Try using a VPN if you’re unable to access the website.)
Social Searcher – Multi-platform social media search for Nicaragua-based profiles and content.
DEA – Nicaragua Fugitives & Indictments – US DEA press releases and fugitive listings involving Nicaraguan nationals.
Nicaragua Genealogy Resources – Historical civil and church records useful for genealogy and identity verification.
Litigation & Regulatory Sources
La Gaceta – Diario Oficial – Nicaragua’s official government gazette: laws, decrees, resolutions, and regulatory publications. (restrictions on access from foreign IP addresses.)
Procuraduría General de la República – Attorney General — legal representation of the state and administrative sanctions.
DEA – Nicaragua Investigations – US Drug Enforcement Administration press releases on Nicaragua-linked drug trafficking indictments.
Sanctions, Financial Crime & PEPs
OFAC Nicaragua Sanctions (U.S. Treasury) – Official US Treasury sanctions list targeting Nicaraguan regime officials for human rights abuses and corruption.
EU Sanctions Map – Nicaragua – European Union restrictive measures against individuals and entities in Nicaragua.
OpenSanctions – Nicaragua – Aggregated sanctions, criminal watchlists, and PEP data for Nicaragua.
Global Financial Integrity (GFI) – Reports on illicit financial flows and trade misinvoicing involving Nicaragua.
FATF (Financial Action Task Force) – Nicaragua’s AML/CFT compliance status and mutual evaluation reports.
Organized Crime Index – Nicaragua – Criminality and resilience scores, organized crime landscape analysis.
WHOIS & Domain Intelligence
NIC.ni – Domain Registry – Nicaragua’s official .ni domain registration authority, administered by UNI.
Whois.domaintools.com – WHOIS lookups for any domain including .ni registrations.
ViewDNS.info – WHOIS, DNS history, IP geolocation, and reverse IP lookups.
Netlas – Internet-wide asset and certificate search engine with powerful, flexible query capabilities for reconnaissance and OSINT.
Shodan – Search for internet-connected devices and infrastructure in Nicaragua.
Crime & Security OSINT Sources
Insight Crime – Nicaragua – Investigative analysis of organized crime, gang activity, drug trafficking, and state-criminal relationships in Nicaragua.
Organized Crime Index – Nicaragua – ENACT/GI-TOC scoring of criminality and resilience across categories.
UNODC – Nicaragua – UN Office on Drugs and Crime: official crime statistics, drug trafficking data, and law enforcement indicators.
OSAC (Overseas Security Advisory Council) – US State Department crime and security advisories for Nicaragua.
Global Peace Index – Nicaragua – Country ranking on peacefulness, internal conflict, and security apparatus.
Numbeo Crime Index – Nicaragua – User-contributed city-level crime perception data.
Transparency International – Nicaragua – Corruption Perceptions Index and governance reports.
INTERPOL Red Notices – Nicaragua – International wanted persons alerts searchable by country.
World Prison Brief – Nicaragua – Prison population, incarceration rates, and detention conditions.
Human Rights & NGO Sources
International Mechanisms
IACHR – MESENI (Special Monitoring Mechanism for Nicaragua) – The IACHR’s dedicated monitoring mechanism for Nicaragua, operating from Washington DC since being expelled in 2018.
UN GHREN (Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua) – Established by the UN Human Rights Council in 2022. Has found crimes against humanity committed by the regime.
UN Human Rights Office – Nicaragua – OHCHR reports and statements on the human rights situation in Nicaragua.
IACHR – Nicaragua – Inter-American Commission on Human Rights annual reports, precautionary measures, and country documentation.
Human Rights Watch – Nicaragua – Reports on political prisoners, repression, media crackdowns, and governance failures.
Amnesty International – Nicaragua – Reports and advocacy on political detentions, enforced disappearances, and civil liberties.
Civil Society (Exiled / Diaspora)
Nicaragua Nunca Más – Human rights collective documenting state violence, political prisoners, and torture since 2018. Operates from exile in Costa Rica.
CENIDH (Centro Nicaragüense de Derechos Humanos) – Historically Nicaragua’s most prominent human rights organization. Operations severely restricted since 2018.
ICNL – Nicaragua Civic Freedom Monitor – Tracks legal restrictions on civil society, NGO laws, and civic space closures.
Freedom House – Nicaragua – Annual country reports on political rights, civil liberties, and internet freedom.
International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) – Nicaragua – Reports and advocacy on Nicaraguan human rights violations.
FLED (Foundation for Freedom of Expression and Democracy) – Tracks press freedom, journalist exile, and media closures in Nicaragua.
JX Fund – Nicaragua – European Fund for Journalism in Exile monitoring of 26 Nicaraguan exiled media outlets.
Political Prisoners & Accountability
GIEI Nicaragua – Final Report (2018) – Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts report concluding crimes against humanity were committed during the 2018 repression.
CPJ (Committee to Protect Journalists) – Nicaragua – Tracks journalist arrests, exiles, and press freedom violations.
RSF (Reporters Without Borders) – Nicaragua – Press freedom index and country reports.
Local Journalism & Media Sources
State-Aligned / Regime Media
These outlets are controlled or closely aligned with the Ortega-Murillo regime. Useful for monitoring official propaganda, regime messaging, and disinformation patterns.
El 19 Digital – Official Sandinista FSLN party outlet and primary digital mouthpiece of the Ortega-Murillo regime.
Canal 8 (Multinoticias) – State television channel controlled by the ruling family.
Canales 4, 9, 13 – Television channels operated by entities linked to the Ortega-Murillo family.
Radio Ya / Radio Sandino – Government-affiliated radio stations. Part of the official media apparatus.
Independent / Opposition Media (Mostly in Exile)
Nearly all independent Nicaraguan media now operate from exile, primarily Costa Rica and the United States, following systematic confiscations and journalist persecutions since 2018.
Confidencial – Nicaragua’s most prominent independent investigative outlet. Newsroom exiled in Costa Rica. Directed by Carlos Fernando Chamorro.
La Prensa – Nicaragua’s historic independent newspaper. Print edition suspended since 2021 police raid; continues online from exile.
100% Noticias – Independent TV news channel; confiscated in 2018. Continues as a digital exile platform.
Divergentes – Investigative outlet focused on corruption, governance, and human rights across Central America with primary focus on Nicaragua. Operates from Costa Rica.
Artículo 66 – Digital investigative journalism focused on Nicaragua’s political and social crisis.
Nicaragua Investiga – Investigative digital outlet, operates from exile.
Despacho 505 – Independent digital media covering Nicaraguan politics and society from exile.
La Lupa – Independent digital outlet with feminist and social justice focus.
Galería News – Visual storytelling-focused independent Nicaraguan media.
Havana Times – Nicaragua – a Cuba/Nicaragua independent outlet that covers Nicaragua critically.
Radio Darío – Legacy independent radio station, now operating as a digital exile platform.
Regional & International Coverage
Insight Crime – Nicaragua – Organized crime, security, and investigative reporting.
Infobae – Nicaragua – Latin American regional outlet with regular Nicaragua coverage.
El País – América – Nicaragua – Spanish flagship newspaper’s Nicaragua section.
Deutsche Welle – Nicaragua (Español) – German international broadcaster’s Spanish-language Nicaragua coverage.
NTN24 – Nicaragua – Colombia-based TV news; blocked inside Nicaragua but a key source for exile coverage.
Think Tanks & Research Institutions
Independent / Exiled (Formerly Active in Nicaragua)
FUNIDES (Fundación Nicaragüense para el Desarrollo Económico y Social) – Independent economic think tank. Dissolved by the regime in 2022. Leadership exiled. Historical reports remain a valuable resource.
IEEPP (Instituto de Estudios Estratégicos y Políticas Públicas) – Research on governance, security sector, and public policy. Dissolved by the regime in December 2018.
Government-Affiliated (Regime-Aligned)
UNAN-Managua (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Nicaragua) – Public university research; closely monitored by the regime. Published academic output remains accessible.
International Research on Nicaragua
CSIS Americas Program – US-based think tank with significant analysis on Nicaragua’s democratic decline and sanctions policy.
Wilson Center – Latin American Program – Research and events on Nicaraguan governance, migration, and human rights.
WOLA (Washington Office on Latin America) – Policy advocacy and research on Nicaragua’s human rights and democracy crisis.
AS/COA (Americas Society / Council of the Americas) – Business and policy analysis covering Nicaragua.
Procurement & Government Tenders
SNICAC (Sistema Nicaragüense de Contrataciones Administrativas) – Nicaragua’s public procurement portal — contracts, tenders, and supplier registrations.
TendersInfo – Nicaragua – Aggregated international tender alerts including Nicaragua.
TendersOnTime – Nicaragua – Global tender database with Nicaragua-specific listings.
EU TED (Tenders Electronic Daily) – European Union procurement portal — includes Nicaragua-linked projects funded or managed by EU institutions.
Development Aid – Nicaragua Projects – Tracks international development projects and funding in Nicaragua.
Maps & Satellite Intelligence
Google Earth / Earth Engine Timelapse – Satellite imagery and land use change over time — particularly useful for mining arc, deforestation, and infrastructure monitoring.
Mapillary – Nicaragua – Street-level imagery contributed by the public — useful for urban reconnaissance.
INETER – Geographic Institute – Nicaragua’s official geographic and seismic monitoring institute. Provides maps, hazard data, and territorial data.
Global Forest Watch – Nicaragua – Deforestation monitoring via satellite data — critical for Caribbean Coast and mining arc investigations.
ACNUR/UNHCR Displacement Maps – Nicaragua – – Population displacement, migrant routes, and refugee data visualizations.
Marine Traffic – Nicaragua – AIS-based vessel tracking in Nicaraguan waters and Caribbean ports.
FlightAware / FlightRadar24 – Aircraft tracking for private and government flights in and out of Nicaragua.
Dark Web & Illicit Marketplace Monitoring
Ahmia – .onion Search – Surface-web accessible search engine for .onion (dark web) content.
OnionSearch Engine – Alternative search engine for Tor hidden services.
Dark.fail – Mirrors & Indexes – Directory of verified dark web marketplace links.
Reddit – Nicaraguan Diaspora Communities – Public Reddit communities discussing Nicaraguan affairs, migration, and current events.
Catholic Church Persecution — Sources & Monitoring
Primary Tracking & Documentation
Nicaragua: A Persecuted Church (Martha Patricia Molina) – The most comprehensive ongoing tracker of religious persecution in Nicaragua. Nicaraguan lawyer Martha Patricia Molina has documented over 19,836 attacks against clergy and laity since 2018, updated through annual editions. Presented to Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican in October 2025.
Mosaico CSI (Nicaragua) – Catholic news outlet reporting on the Church situation inside Nicaragua. One of the few sources with on-the-ground Church coverage still operating. Reports on clergy surveillance, ordination bans, and diocesan conditions.
ACI Prensa – Nicaragua – Catholic News Agency’s Spanish-language service with extensive coverage of the Nicaraguan Church persecution, including bishop expulsions and property confiscations.
Catholic News Agency (CNA) – Nicaragua – English-language CNA coverage of religious freedom in Nicaragua.
National Catholic Reporter – Nicaragua – In-depth investigative reporting on the Church crisis, including interviews with exiled clergy.
Religious Freedom Monitoring Bodies
USCIRF (US Commission on International Religious Freedom) – Nicaragua – Annual reports and hearing testimony on Nicaragua’s status as a Country of Particular Concern for religious freedom violations.
US State Department – International Religious Freedom Report – Nicaragua – – Annual country report documenting specific incidents of religious persecution, arrests of priests, and government actions against Church institutions.
Open Doors – Nicaragua – Annual World Watch List ranking; Nicaragua rated #32 in 2025 for Christian persecution. Tracks surveillance, ministry restrictions, and property seizures.
ECLJ (European Centre for Law and Justice) – Nicaragua – Legal and human rights analysis of the Church persecution, including UN submissions and advocacy reports.
International Christian Concern – Nicaragua – Reports on the broader crackdown on Christian organizations, including evangelical churches and the closure of over 1,500 faith groups.
Key Events & Context for Investigators
Bishop Rolando Álvarez – Case Documentation – Álvarez (Diocese of Matagalpa) was arrested in August 2022, sentenced to 26 years in prison in February 2023, and ultimately deported to Rome in January 2024 after 18 months of detention. A key reference point for the regime’s judicial persecution of clergy.
GIEI Nicaragua Report (2018) – Original report concluding crimes against humanity were committed during the 2018 repression, in which the Catholic Church played a critical protective role that triggered the regime’s persecution.
Confidencial – Church Confiscations Database (2022–2025) – Confidencial’s detailed investigation into 39 properties confiscated from the Catholic Church between 2022 and 2025, documenting their current use by the regime.
Vatican – Holy See Press Office – Official Vatican statements and diplomatic communications regarding Nicaragua. Pope Francis and Pope Leo XIV have both made public statements of concern.
Nicaragua Nunca Más – Church Persecution Reports – Human rights collective with specific reporting on clergy as political prisoners and the intersection of religious and political persecution.
Exiled Bishops & Dioceses (Current Status)
As of early 2026, four of Nicaragua’s eight diocesan bishops are in exile and ordinations are banned in four dioceses: Jinotega, Siuna, Matagalpa, and Estelí. The following serve as reference for investigators tracking the Church’s institutional status.
Conferencia Episcopal de Nicaragua (CEN) – Official Nicaraguan Bishops’ Conference. Despite severe restrictions, remains a reference point for the institutional Church’s position. Bishop Carlos Herrera (exiled) was CEN president.
Diocese of Matagalpa – Diocese of Bishop Rolando Álvarez (exiled to Rome). Seminary confiscated by the regime in January 2025. A key focal point of the persecution.
Arquidiócesis de Managua — one of the dioceses where some Church activity is still permitted, though under close surveillance.
Miscellaneous & Additional Resources
Internet Archive – Nicaragua – Archived web content from Nicaraguan media outlets shut down by the regime. Essential for accessing censored historical content.
Bellingcat – Investigative OSINT Guides – Open-source investigation guides applicable to Nicaragua research.
Wikileaks – Nicaragua – Leaked diplomatic cables and documents related to Nicaragua.
GIJN (Global Investigative Journalism Network) – Resources and case studies on investigative journalism in Nicaragua.
Want more resources? Check out our full collection of OSINT resources here: https://unishka.com/resources/
If we’ve missed any good sources, just drop us a comment or send an email to abawer@unishka.com — we’ll make sure to add them to the toolkit!