After the Nicaraguan regime recoiled from its interest in appropriating the emblems of the Nicaraguan Red Cross, which it turned into an entity subject to the Ministry of Health (Minsa), the opposition political scientist and exiled former politician, Félix Maradiaga, affirmed that “the decision to create a law of the White Cross is simply a hasty attempt to erase with the elbow what was written with the hand.”
He also pointed out that the dictatorship’s attempt “to repair its mistake does not solve the underlying problem, which is the urgency for the Nicaraguan Red Cross to recover its ability to operate in Nicaragua under the principles of neutrality that correspond to it, according to the treaties.” international”.
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He also stressed that as a humanitarian institution, the Red Cross is the most important organization in emergency situations, and it does so under criteria of neutrality, which is why it carefully protects the use of its emblem.
“-That is why by- creating a new emblem, in this case a White Cross, does not guarantee that Nicaragua will have a humanitarian organization with the weight, professionalism and neutrality of the Red Cross.”
“Rushed law to request humanitarian aid”
On the other hand, the former presidential candidate asserted that with “the hasty law of the White Cross” the Ortega-Murillo regime seeks to maintain a relationship with international humanitarian aid organizations, “since these organizations prioritize vulnerable people and victims as its raison d’être.
“When the State does not collaborate in protecting the neutrality of these organizations, it is understandable that the international community has some flexibility—even with dictatorships like Nicaragua’s—in order to help those who need it most and maintain a presence in the country. », Maradiaga pointed out.
He also considered that despite the actions of the Ortega government “it is possible to speculate that the International Red Cross is willing to have a technical collaboration relationship with a national entity that has another name and does not use the Red Cross emblem, but that Be ready to deal with emergency situations. The main thing in this logic is civil protection.
“Organization will continue to be biased”
Other points made by the opponent is that the International Committee of the Red Cross ICRC and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) “must make a decision to rethink the type of working relationship with a national organization that implies continuing what was the Nicaraguan Red Cross.
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«The problem is that this new organization will continue to be biased. It would not be surprising if, for the benefit of the most vulnerable Nicaraguans, the ICRC prefers to accept the confiscation of the assets of its Nicaraguan counterpart”, he emphasized.
The released political prisoner concluded that the actions of the dictatorship are “inhumane and perverse plans, which place the regime’s perpetuation interests above the vulnerability and suffering of the poorest Nicaraguans (…) This shows that the dictatorship has no moral limits to consolidate its control in all areas, be it in the public, private and even humanitarian space.
The initiative for the Creation of the White Cross was presented on Friday, June 2, and urgently approved by the Sandinista deputies, with the argument of “serving the needs of the Nicaraguan population as a decentralized institution.”
The parliamentarians also approved the initiative to reform the recently approved Law 1152, Law for the Repeal of Legislative Decree number 357 and Creation of the Nicaraguan Red Cross, which establishes that all the patrimony, assets and shares that to date belong to the Nicaraguan Red Cross Association will become property of the State.
