use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , body_discovered = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinates = , burial_place = , burial_coordinates = , monuments = , nationality = , other_names = , siglum = , citizenship = , education = , alma_mater =

Central American University Central American University may refer to: *Central American University, Managua *Central American University, San Salvador José Simeón Cañas Central American University (), also known as UCA El Salvador, is a private Catholic university with ...

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

, occupation = , years_active = , era = , employer = , organization = , agent = , known_for = , notable_works = , style = , title = Minister of Education , term = , predecessor = , successor = , party = , movement = , opponents = , boards = , criminal_charges = , criminal_penalty = , criminal_status = , spouse = , partner = , children = , parents = , mother = , father = , relatives =

Gioconda Belli Gioconda Belli (born December 9, 1948) is a Nicaraguan-born novelist and poet known for her contributions to Nicaraguan literature. Early life Gioconda Belli grew up in a wealthy family in Managua. Her father is Humberto Belli Zapata and her b ...

(sister) , family = , callsign = , awards = , website = , module = , module2 = , module3 = , module4 = , module5 = , module6 = , signature = , signature_size = , signature_alt = , footnotes = Humberto Belli Pereira (born September 7, 1945) is a Nicaraguan politician and writer. The former Minister of Education in

Nicaragua Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America aft ...

during the presidency of conservative

Violeta Chamorro Violeta Barrios Torres de Chamorro (; 18 October 1929 – 14 June 2025) was a Nicaraguan politician who served as the 55th president of Nicaragua from 1990 to 1997. She was the country's first female president. Previously, she was a member of ...

, Belli is also the author of five books.

Biography

Humberto Belli Pereira was born September 7, 1945, in

Managua Managua () is the capital city, capital and largest city of Nicaragua, and one of the List of largest cities in Central America, largest cities in Central America. Located on the shores of Lake Managua, the city had an estimated population of 1, ...

) to Humberto Belli Zapata and Gloria Pereira Salazar. His sister is the author and former Sandinista revolutionary

. Humberto Belli was educated at the

, the University of Madrid, and

, where he studied

sociology Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...

. He joined the

Sandinista The Sandinista National Liberation Front (, FSLN) is a socialist political party in Nicaragua. Its members are called Sandinistas () in both English and Spanish. The party is named after Augusto César Sandino, who led the Nicaraguan resistan ...

student group, the Revolutionary Student Front (FER) in 1965, but broke with the FSLN and Marxism in 1975 while continuing to oppose the

Somoza The Somoza family () is a political family which ruled Nicaragua under a dictatorship over a period of forty-three years, from 1936 to 1979. Founder, Anastasio Somoza García – who served as the President of Nicaragua from 1937 until 1956 – ...

rule. He converted to

Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

in 1977 and is a member of

Opus Dei is an institution of the Catholic Church that was founded in Spain in 1928 by Josemaría Escrivá. Its stated mission is to help its lay and clerical members seek holiness in their everyday occupations and societies. Opus Dei is officially r ...

. He is the author of ''Breaking Faith: The Sandinista Revolution and its Impact on Freedom and Christian Faith in Nicaragua'' (1984; also released as ''Christians Under Fire'') and ''Buscando La Tierra Prometida, Historia de Nicaragua 1492-2019'' (''Searching for the Promised Land'', 2019)''.'' He is on the editorial board of ''La Prensa''. Belli became Minister of Education in

during the presidency of conservative

Violeta Barrios de Chamorro Violeta Barrios Torres de Chamorro (; 18 October 1929 – 14 June 2025) was a Nicaraguan politician who served as the 55th president of Nicaragua from 1990 to 1997. She was the country's first female president. Previously, she was a member of ...

and also worked in the administration of her successor,

Arnoldo Alemán José Arnoldo Alemán Lacayo (born 23 January 1946) is a Nicaraguan politician who served as the 56th president of Nicaragua from 10 January 1997 to 10 January 2002. In 2003, he was convicted of corruption and sentenced to a 20-year prison term; ...

of the

Constitutionalist Liberal Party The Constitutionalist Liberal Party () is a political party in Nicaragua. History The Constitutionalist Liberal Party is the political successor of the Democratic Party, a faction which has existed since Nicaragua became independent during the ...

. He is a critic of the FSLN, alleging fraud in the

2011 Nicaraguan general election General elections were held in Nicaragua on 6 November 2011. The incumbent president Daniel Ortega, won a third term in this election, with a landslide victory. Background The Sandinista National Liberation Front (, FSLN) returned to power with ...

(particularly as regards the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...

composition) and harshly criticizing his once-close friend of Cardinal

Miguel Obando y Bravo Miguel Obando y Bravo, SDB (2 February 1926 – 3 June 2018) was a Nicaraguan Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Managua from 1970 to 2005. Pope John Paul II created him a cardinal in 1985. He was a member of the Salesians of Don Bo ...

for Obando y Bravo’s close relationship with the FSLN. In a 2012 interview, Belli said, “I regret that a member of the Church who should distance himself from power and especially from powers that disrespect the Constitution and commit fraud, is continually blessing it.” In June 2021, Bellí was among a wave of arrest warrants for civic figures that began with four opposition pre-candidates for president in the November general election. On June 16, Bellí and 12 other former directors of Nicaraguan Foundation for Economic and Social Development (FUNIDES) had their bank accounts frozen in an investigation for alleged violations by the Foundation of the controversial Law 1040, the “Law on the Regulation of Foreign Agents”. The next day, arrest warrants were issued for two of them—Bellí and Gerardo José Baltodano Cantarero—for allegedly failing to respond to a summons.

Works

* * * * * ''Buscando La Tierra Prometida, Historia de Nicaragua 1492-2019'' (2019)''.''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Belli, Humberto Living people People from Managua Central American University (Managua) alumni Complutense University of Madrid alumni University of Pennsylvania alumni 1945 births Ministers of education of Nicaragua Nicaraguan writers