Iniciativa Puentes por los Estudiantes de Nicaragua (IPEN)

IPEN receives the prize for their work in protecting Nicaraguan students that have been met with persecution and oppression, the Peace Prize Committee explains in their justification.

Building bridges for students in exile
‍IPEN is an ideal organization based in Costa Rica, started by students from Nicaragua. Since 2022 IPEN has worked for the right of education and academic freedom in their home country. The organization emerged after the massive demonstrations that were met with violent reactions from the government in 2018 in Nicaragua. IPEN offers education for Nicaraguan students that have been affected by the political situation in the country. IPEN also offers humanitarian and psychological help, and leadership/management training. The programs are named Puentes, Amista, Fuerza (Bridges, friendship and strenght)

Several of the founding members of IPEN have themselves been victims of expulsion from universities in Nicaragua, and are therefore living in exile in Costa Rica and Romania to continue their education and to express themselves freely. Today IPEN helps students in several countries, and has helped at least 150 students to continue their education outside of Nicaragua.

"During the protests I was arrested by the government and I was a political prisoner in 2019. After that the government shut down the universities where I worked", explains Marco Aurelio Peña, CEO and cofounder of IPEN. The work IPEN has been doing since 2022 illustrates the important role students have in the fight for human rights.

Education in a political crisis
During the protest in 2018 a large number of students took to the streets. As a reaction they were met with violence, and IPEN estimates that at least 355 died, where 45 of these were students and young people.

"Students have been the most affected in Nicaragua. Not only during the protest or in this context (the protests of 2018), but also now, for the new generation starting their studies", tells Elthon Rivera Cruz, president and cofounder of IPEN.

Following the protest many of the universities were closed and many got state made.The young people starting in universities in Nicaragua now will not be able to find a quality educational system, they will find a forced obligatory indoctrination system, explains Rivera.