The United States Government is focused on fighting for “the liberation of the political prisoners of Nicaragua”, in view of the concern “for their health, for the subhuman conditions they suffer and for the well-being of them and their families,” say officials of the State Department of the Joe Biden Administration, which on December 14 gave a press conference to national media on the situation in Nicaragua.
“We are going to work together with our partners, member states of the OAS (Organization of American States), the international community, in the fight for the liberation of these people,” highlighted the Undersecretary of State of the Office of Western Hemisphere Affairs in the State Department, Brian Nichols.
He warned that the United States will maintain “pressure” against the Ortega regime so that Nicaragua “follows the path towards democracy” and stressed that the concern and commitment of the United States Government, given the “worrying” situation that Nicaragua is going through, is has translated in recent years into “the measures we have taken, with the special actions against the Ortega-Murillo Government, with the three resolutions in the OAS, condemning the anti-democratic, illegal actions by the Ortega-Murillo Government in Nicaragua. ”.
Between December 2017 and November 2021, the United States Government has imposed economic and immigration sanctions on forty officials and operators of the Ortega regime, nine companies linked to the Ortega-Murillo family, and two public entities: the National Police and the Public Ministry. warning of the violation of human rights and public liberties of Nicaraguans and cases of corruption, which in some cases are extended to the family members of the officials.
The situation in Nicaragua after the electoral farce of the 7N, carried out by the regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, is “extremely worrying,” especially due to the intensification of the repression and the conditions in which it holds more than 160 political prisoners, he maintains. Nichols, who participated in the conference with Todd Robinson, Assistant Secretary of State for the Department of State’s Office of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.
The US government has made it clear that it is unaware of Ortega’s “electoral farce” and that there is “a dictatorship” in Nicaragua, warning that the “costs” for the “accomplices” of the regime will rise.
Defense of the rule of law
Robinson noted that the “fight against corruption” has been placed by the Joe Biden Administration as a primary concern in the national security of the United States.
The official highlighted that the fight against corruption and the defense of democracy were part of the main themes during the Democracy Summit, held virtually last week with the participation of 110 nations, concluding in the demand for “significant commitments for the democracy, the fight against corruption and the promotion of human rights ”.
Nichols argued that throughout the world “corruption undermines economic opportunities, violates human rights, weakens the confidence of citizens,” for which, he said, in the last year the United States Government has focused on “attacking corruption and defending the rule of law in various countries ”.
He pointed out that among the countries where the United States has fought in the last year against corruption and the defense of the rule of law are Venezuela and Nicaragua.