Through the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the United States Department of the Treasury applied new sanctions to the regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, accused of “manipulating the gold sector and making illegal money with migration” .
Nicaraguan opposition activists consider that these restrictions applied to the Training Center of the Russian Ministry of the Interior in Managuato the International Mining Company (COMINTSA) and the company Capital Mining Investment Nicaragua (Capital Mining), key entities linked to the oppressive regime, represent “a significant step towards the restoration of justice and dignity in Nicaragua.”
In a video published on the social network X, the former ambassador of Nicaragua to the Organization of American States (OAS), Arturo McFields, He indicated that the new sanctions are “hitting the pocket of the dictatorship, by touching the mining sector.”
Related news: Biden government sanctions a Russian training center that operates from Nicaragua
The diplomat described that the illegal mining of the Nicaraguan dictatorship is “blood gold, polluting, that destroys the environment and contaminates rivers with mercury.”
“All the dirty businesses of the dictatorship are hit and that is what hurts the most, because the only thing that the dictatorship respects is finances,” he said.
McFields highlighted that the US entity once again sanctions the repressive Ortega police, but also hits “the alliance of Russia and Nicaragua” to “kill and torture it.” For this reason, the political exile stated that “this is a strategic blow that the United States deals to the dictatorship’s purse, but also to its repressive hand.”
The former representative of Nicaragua called these prohibitions “scalpel sanctions” because “they go straight to the purse, and to the hand that kills, of the Nicaraguan dictatorship.” “This marks an important tone and a significant turn in the sanctions that the United States is beginning to implement in Nicaragua,” he commented.
Other ways to affect Ortega
The economist and political prisoner Juan Sebastian Chamorro He also agreed that “the sanctions on mining companies are aimed precisely at cutting off the economic resources that the dictatorship is receiving through this important gold sector.”
The political activist highlighted that the Treasury points to Laureano Ortega Murillo, nicknamed “El Chigüín” within the opposition, as “the person behind these companies, where it is also known that he is in the hands of the powerful Minister of Energy and Mines.”
Chamorro also highlighted that the Police Training Center that operates in Nicaragua “seems to have now fallen into disgrace and is being sanctioned.” Less than a month ago, the institution received a visit from Nikolai Patrushev, Vladimir Putin’s right-hand man and a key player in his security apparatus.
“Here is an unequivocal signal from the United States to move towards institutional sanctions that affect not only the flow of resources for the dictatorship, but also the political espionage of the Russians on the American continent,” he said.
The released politician explained that the suspension of more than 250 visas to officials involved in human trafficking and in the use of migration as a strategic and political weapon by Ortega, “they are also a resounding message from the North American administration.”
Sanctions were necessary and urgent
The political scientist and released politician Felix Maradiaga He expressed that “this effort to dismantle the networks of corruption and repression, which have enriched Ortega’s associates, while brutally oppressing our people, is not only necessary, but urgent.”
The political leader highlighted that “the fact that these sanctions target companies exploiting the gold sector underlines the depth of corrupt influence and international collaboration in the perpetuation of Ortega’s tyranny.”
«The actions of the United States highlight the systematic abuse and exploitation that the regime has normalized, revealing how Ortega and his accomplices, including his son and the corrupt circle of economic operators, have prioritized their personal enrichment over well-being and freedom. of the Nicaraguan people,” denounced Maradiaga.
Related news: Russia and Nicaragua join together to complain about “illegal and unilateral” sanctions
The former political prisoner “maintains the hope that these measures will help dismantle the power structures that support this authoritarian regime.” “We will continue to advocate for more robust measures that further restrict Ortega’s ability to finance his repressive acts and ultimately lead to democratic change in our country,” he added.
The political activist highlighted that “the fight for democracy and justice in Nicaragua is arduous and long, but international actions like this renew our hope and strengthen our commitment to freedom and human dignity.”
