Laureano Ortega, son of the Nicaraguan presidential binomial, would have sought a rapprochement with Washington in order to ease the sanctions imposed by the United States government against his family and close circle, revealed this Thursday the newspaper New York Times.
In exchange, the release of the political prisoners would have been given, who are in maximum security cells in Managua or under house arrest, indicated US officials quoted by the New York Times.
The newspaper reported that a high-ranking official from the administration of President Joe Biden had been sent to Managua to meet with Laureano in March, but the appointment failed to materialize after the Ortegas apparently backed down.
The approach I would have sought Laurean, adviser to the presidency for investments, it would have occurred shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine and in the midst of the rapprochement of the Biden administration with the government of Nicolás Maduro.
The Nicaraguan government has not reacted to the report, published less than 24 hours before a local celebration in Nicaragua for the “day of national dignity,” in which President Daniel Ortega gave a traditional speech in which he lashed out at the international community for criticizing him for the way he runs the country.
Vice President Rosario Murillo made no mention of the news in her speech in the official media at noon this Thursday.
Washington has imposed several sanctions against the administration of Daniel Ortega. In 2017, he sanctioned the then president of the Supreme Electoral Council, Roberto Rivas, whom he accused of various electoral frauds.
Later, after the 2018 crisis, the sanctions intensified against Ortega and his leadership, as well as against the companies run by his relatives.
The sanctions have hit the pockets of Ortega and his sons, who run a group of television channels and the fuel business.
Ortega has said that the sanctions are “a violation of human rights” and has attacked the United States in his speeches, accusing it of “interfering in the internal politics” of the country.
In the last presidential elections in Nicaragua, Ortega prevailed after imprisoning the majority of the opposition, including seven presidential candidates, which unleashed the rejection of the US and a large part of the international community.
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