Exiled Nicaraguan Dissident and Former Military Officer Killed in Costa Rica Shooting

Roberto Samcam, a 67-year-old former Nicaraguan military officer and outspoken critic of President Daniel Ortega, was shot and killed Thursday morning at his condominium residence in Costa Rica’s capital, San José.

Costa Rican authorities confirmed that a suspect, posing as a delivery driver, gained entry to the secure residential complex around 7:30 a.m. local time (13:30 GMT) and shot Samcam at least eight times using a 9mm pistol. The attacker fled the scene on a motorcycle and remains at large.

Samcam had lived in exile in Costa Rica after joining the 2018 anti-government protests in Nicaragua, which erupted over unpopular social security reforms and quickly escalated into a mass movement against Ortega’s rule. The protests were met with a brutal crackdown that left an estimated 355 dead, more than 2,000 injured, and a similar number arbitrarily detained, according to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR).

In the years since, Samcam had become a prominent voice against the Ortega regime, frequently speaking out against authoritarianism and government repression.

His wife, Claudia Vargas, told Reuters the assailant did not say a word before opening fire and fleeing the scene.

“He pretended to be a delivery man,” she said, underscoring concerns among exiled Nicaraguans about their safety even outside their homeland.

Human rights organizations have expressed alarm over the killing, calling for an immediate and thorough investigation and increased protections for dissidents living abroad.

Samcam’s death comes amid a broader crackdown by the Ortega administration, which continues to pursue critics, journalists, and former protesters — often labeling them as enemies of the state or coup-plotters.

Authorities in Costa Rica have launched a manhunt and forensic teams are working to gather evidence from the scene.

With input from Al Jazeera