Nicaragua bars pageant head after Ortega critic wins Miss Universe: media

MANAGUA - Nicaraguan authorities have barred the director of the national beauty pageant from re-entering the country after a Nicaraguan woman seen as a symbol of opposition to the Ortega government was crowned Miss Universe, media reports and exiled opposition members said. 

Karen Celebertti and her daughter were detained upon their arrival at the Managua airport -- days after seeing 23-year-old Sheynnis Palacios crowned as the first Miss Universe from Nicaragua -- and placed on a flight to Mexico, the opposition-linked La Prensa newspaper reported.

The government "blocked Karen Celebertti, owner of the Miss Nicaragua franchise, and her daughter from entering the country," the Costa Rica-based Nicaraguan daily said on its web site.

It was unclear on what grounds Celebertti, a Nicaraguan national, was excluded. The Ortega government has made no comment on the matter.

The writer Gioconda Belli, who lives in Spain after being stripped of her Nicaraguan nationality by the government, contended that Celebertti was blocked at the orders of Daniel Ortega's wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, despite her success in helping a Nicaraguan win the prestigious contest.

Opposition media also reported that Celebertti's Managua home had been searched Friday and her husband, Martin Arguello, briefly detained. 

Since Palacios was crowned Miss Universe on November 18 in San Salvador, she has been widely portrayed as a symbol of opposition to Ortega.

Photos showing her waving the Nicaraguan flag at anti-government protests in 2018 have gone viral, and her victory brought joyful crowds into Nicaragua's streets in the biggest public displays since such gatherings were banned five years ago.

Murillo on Wednesday blasted the publication of such photos as "malicious (and) terrorist communications that aim to transform a beautiful moment of pride and well-deserved celebration into a destructive coup."

The Nicaraguan opposition has portrayed Palacios' victory as a sign of hope. Some in the celebratory crowds waved the blue and white flags of the opposition.