Human rights defenders and opponents challenged Daniel Ortega to sign the Rome Statute that would give jurisdiction in Nicaragua to the International Criminal Court. Ortega said a few days ago that he was willing to go to the International Court of Justice, based in The Hague, for the United States to prove that he has violated human rights in the country.
Gonzalo Carrión, lawyer for the Nicaragua Nunca Más Human Rights Collective, sees it as unlikely that Ortega will be sitting in the dock because Nicaragua has not signed the Rome Statute, which establishes the International Criminal Court of Justice, to be able to answer for these signs in The Hague.
«I say this knowingly, as a human rights defender in Nicaragua, if Daniel Ortega has the decision to face a lawsuit, he must first sign the Rome Statute that created the International Criminal Court, which establishes individual criminal liability for Crimes against humanity»said Carrión, who has documented a series of violations of the human rights of Nicaraguans by the regime.
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«I tell Mr. Daniel Ortega, subscribe to the Rome Statute so that it gives jurisdiction to the International Criminal Court, so that they investigate him and accuse him in it, if he is so adamant that they sue him, immediately sign the agreement»added the human rights defender.
«Ortega as a contentious child»
For his part, Luis Fley, leader of the Nicaraguan Democratic Force (FDN), pointed out that Daniel Ortega’s challenge could get him into serious trouble if the United States accepts it. The opposition leader said that the Nicaraguan president is «like a spoiled child who will run away when cornered».
«Daniel Ortega has always been a challenger, he challenges the United States and the world, he has always been like that and that has been his way of acting, aggressive and challenging, but when he arrives he is like the litigious kids in the neighborhoods, he offends , they try and when they see that the thing is serious, they run away with a stone in their hand»said Luis Fley when asked about the issue.
Ortega has been pointed out in numerous reports by human rights experts that he and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, are responsible for committing crimes against humanity against their people. «Hopefully the United States will take him to court and accuse him of crimes against humanity, there are enough merits to be accused. Let’s see if the United States takes up Ortega’s challenge»continued the opponent.
This Tuesday, Daniel Ortega appeared at an event to commemorate the anniversary of the ruling in The Hague that ordered the United States to compensate Nicaragua for financing acts of war in the country. At that moment, Ortega took the opportunity to charge the United States, challenging them to go back to the International Court, because he affirmed that Nicaragua will once again obtain a favorable sentence.
«bravado» of dictator
«I challenge them to go to the Court, that they accuse us there in the Court of The Hague so that they justify why they are making blockades, aggressions against Nicaragua and we would go to the Court to accuse the United States so that they make reparation as far as possible the damage that has been done to Nicaragua since (William) Walker until these times when they sanction, threaten, and promote coups d’état like the one promoted here in April 2018»said the dictator in an act broadcast on national television.
Human rights defenders have indicated that the United States could accept Daniel Ortega’s challenge to accuse him of committing crimes against humanity, but they are clear that as long as Ortega does not sign the Rome Statute, what he says is only «yelling and bravado» of dictator.
By: United Voices.
