Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega offered the United States over the weekend to send more political prisoners, as it did at the beginning of February with 222 opponentswhich were embraced by Washington by the administration of President Joe Biden.
In a meeting held in Managua with Luo Zhaohui, president of the Chinese Agency for International Development Cooperation (Cidca), Ortega accused Washington of leading what he called “a campaign of infamy and defamation” against his government for calling for the release of political prisoners.
“We had more than 200 prisoners, who they called political prisoners, who were nothing more than terrorists; So in February, since the United States is the one that yells the most for political prisoners, we told them to take them away, there they are, they sent a plane and the 222 left, and now they are inventing that there are more political prisoners, I tell those governments together with the United States to send us the list that we are going to send them there,” Ortega said.
The United States has repeatedly called for the release of people “unfairly detained in Nicaragua,” such as Bishop Rolando Alvarezsentenced to more than 26 years in prison for alleged crimes of treason.
Now they are inventing that there are more political prisoners, I tell those governments together with the United States that they send us the list that we are going to send them there
“Illegal and unseemly proposal”
Former Nicaraguan ambassador to the OAS, Arturo McFields, told the voice of america that the action proposed by Ortega to be releasing opponents from prison and sending them to other countries is “dangerous” because it includes other elements such as the total deprivation of the human rights of these citizens.
“Once (the opponents) are exiled, there are a series of human rights violations, so Ortega’s proposal is illegal and unseemly,” McFields said, adding that exile is an abnormal practice “and can become something routine “.
The exile in February of the opponents included confiscation of their propertyand among other things have been erased from all records in Nicaragua.
McFields believes that Ortega’s proposal “shows weakness” because he does not want to have more political prisoners or people who are willing to fight for freedom of human or civil rights in Nicaragua. “The interesting thing is that now he doesn’t even want to keep them in jail, that’s why he wants to banish them.”
“The international community must reinforce its actions so that there is governability in Nicaragua, the rule of law, we cannot settle for this, there must be a firm international community. The dictatorship already liked this of banishing citizens, it is unacceptable to normalize the banishment,” he concluded.
So far, Washington has not reacted to Ortega’s statements broadcast on national television.
more arrests
After the release of dozens of political prisoners in February, the Ortega government has begun to recapture other activists, human rights defenders, and even journalists such as Victor Ticay. Most of these opponents who have not yet been charged with any crime were arrested during Holy Week.
The Blue and White Monitoring has reported the arrest of at least 21 people.
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