Rights activists in Nicaragua are demanding the release of 30 protestors arrested at a demonstration in the capital Managua on Oct. 14 as the government has since released only eight people from detention.

President Daniel Ortega, said to be facing one of the biggest threats to his career since the protests erupted in April, has accused protestors of “calling for marches not for peace, but for the blood,” according to latinousa.org.

He outlawed anti-government rallies on Sept. 28.

Meanwhile, police issued a warning ahead of the unauthorized protest threatening a major crackdown as unrest sparked by welfare cuts, health reforms, oil price hikes and the regime’s repressive policies keeps escalating.

Reports claim that security personnel used tear gas and stun guns but no serious injuries or casualties were mentioned.

Two activists were detained while attempting to board a plane shortly after the demonstration ended while a third was transferred to El Chipote prison, the Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights said.

Among the eight people released on Oct. 15 after participating in the “United for Liberty” march was indigenous rights advocate Lottie Cunningham, the human rights agency said.

About 300 people have died in protests since mid-April, according to human rights groups. The Ortega government expelled the United Nations in August after it reported widespread human rights violations such as extrajudicial killings and arbitrary detentions.

The Nicaraguan bishops’ conference had convened a national dialogue after protests erupted in April but the bishops suspended talks, saying there was a lack of consensus.