Eleven former Latin American presidents, united in the Libertad y Democracia Group, expressed their concern about the serious human rights violations that the government of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo continue to perpetrate against Nicaraguans and, therefore, demanded that the investigations against the presidential couple at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
In a releasethe former leaders affirmed that they were convinced that “the actions taken by the international community, including harsh sanctions by some States, have not been enough for the government of Daniel Ortega to change its abusive practices.”
“The current situation (in Nicaragua) urgently requires creative reflection by governments committed to the rule of law, democracy and justice for the innocent victims of the Nicaraguan dictatorship,” they highlighted.
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The signatory former presidents, including Iván Duque, from Colombia; Sebastián Piñera, from Chile; Rafeal Calderón, from Costa Rica; and Felipe Calderón, from Mexico, proposed to the governments of the region to create “new mechanisms, within the framework of international law, to hold Nicaragua accountable for the widespread and systematic violations of human rights, including the arbitrary detention and torture of political prisoners.” ».
“Our commitment to collaborate in new mechanisms that allow Nicaragua (Ortega, dictator) to be held internationally accountable for his actions, including lawsuits before international courts or tribunals, such as the International Court of Justice, for flagrant violations of the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment against Torture,” the statement read.
In addition, the former heads of state urged the governments of Latin America to take actions oriented “to that end (…) to facilitate the operation of international justice.”
Ortega continues to “hunt” opponents
The Ortega Murillo regime continues its hunt for opponents. So far in April, the month in which the fifth anniversary of the civic rebellion is commemorated, Blue and White Monitoring has recorded 39 arbitrary arrests by the Sandinista Police. According to the agency, most of the arrests are for political reasons.
In a report, the platform detailed that during the first 20 days of April almost 200 incidents have been reported related to human rights violations in Nicaragua.
The agency also pointed out that April 17 and 19, five years after the social protests, were the days that most incidents were reported. Monitoring recorded at least 70 incidents. The events occurred in 13 departments and one of the Caribbean regions of Nicaragua.
Blue and White Monitoring highlighted that “State repression” has focused on relatives of April victimsopposition and self-convened people as well as members of the Catholic Church.
