José Adán Aguerri

José Adán Aguerri Chamorro (born ), nicknamed Chanito, is a Nicaraguan economist and civic leader. He is the former president of Nicaraguan business chamber, the Superior Council for Private Enterprise (COSEP), where he worked closely with Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega as a strong proponent of the "consensus model" that gave the business community a large degree of influence over economic policy in exchange for supporting Ortega. However, the consensus broke down over social security reforms and human rights abuses in April 2018 and Aguerri became a vocal critic of Ortega. Aguerri was arrested in June 2021 along with a number of other opposition leaders including six opposition pre-candidates seeking to challenge Ortega's reelection bid in the 2021 Nicaraguan general election.

Early life and family Born , José Adán Aguerri Chamorro is the son of Hilda Chamorro and José Adán "Chanito" Aguerri Hurtado. The elder Chanito, with his father, opened the Aguerri Theater, Nicaragua's first movie theater and from there built a successful business operating movie theaters in Nicaragua. He worked at Banco Uno for a time and then in 2005 was introduced to the Chamber of Commerce by his high school classmate Sucre Frech Zablah (son of the famous sports announcer). Unlike other COSEP members who worked at their own companies, COSEP was his full-time job. Members of the business sector enjoyed positions in public-private partnerships, government ministries, government agencies, and investment commissions: Aguerri for example was on the board of directors of the Central Bank, the Airport Administration Company, and the Superintendency of Banks and Other Financial Institutions. However the consensus model broke down on 16 April 2018 when the government announced a unilateral overhaul of social security and its associated tax structure; business sector representatives withdrew in protest for the failure to consult them. Aguerri became a vocal critic of Ortega. On 16 May 2018, he joined the Civic Alliance for Justice and Democracy as well as the National Dialogue in the opposition camp. including four opposition pre-candidates for president in the 2021 Nicaraguan general election, their associates and other opposition figures. Like most of those arrested, Aguerri was detained on alleged violations of controversial Law 1055, alleged "acts that undermine the independence, sovereignty and self-determination of peoples and incite foreign interference." Passed by the FSLN-controlled legislature in December 2020, Law 1055 gives the government broad power to arrest anyone it designates a "traitor to the homeland." The detention of Aguerri and others drew international outcry, with former Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla calling it a "tropical version of the Night of the Long Knives" and the 50,000 businesspeople associated with CCIE demanding Aguerri's release. On 24 June 2021, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) issued a ruling finding him in an "extremely grave situation. As such, there exists an urgent necessity to adopt measures that avoid irreparable harm to the rights of life and physical integrity" and therefore ordered his release, as well as the release of fellow opposition leaders Violeta Granera, Juan Sebastián Chamorro, and Félix Maradiaga. The Court cited lack of information regarding their whereabouts, as well as health concerns and concerns about the conditions under which they are being held. The Nicaraguan government has not complied.

Personal life Aguerri has been married twice and is raising three children with his second wife.