MEPs of the Renovar Europa group They affirmed this Friday that “the elections in Nicaragua are a sham”, for which they exhorted the European Union “not to recognize its result, neither the Parliament nor the resulting fraudulent government.”
The group of MEPs called on the Government of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo to “repeal all the disgraceful laws” that restrict the public freedoms of citizens, allow the presence of international organizations specialized in human rights, the safe return of exiles and the disarmament of “the paramilitary bodies that daily harass the people.”
“This will be the result of a flawed electoral process carried out under a de facto state of siege in which the freedom of expression, organization and mobilization of the opposition forces has been prohibited and their leaders and candidates have been deprived of liberty.” said Javier Nart MEP, a member of that group and vice president of the Delegation for Relations with the Central American countries.
Since the Supreme Electoral Council (CSE) convened the electoral process, the Ortega and Murillo regime has eliminated political competition. As of the end of last May, 39 opposition leaders, businessmen, human rights defenders and journalists have been imprisoned; among them the presidential candidates Cristiana Chamorro, Arturo Cruz, Félix Maradiaga, Juan Sebastián Chamorro, Miguel Mora, Medardo Mairena and Noel Vidaurre.
For MEP Soraya Rodríguez, a member of the group, “beyond the electoral process, there is too much impunity accumulated in Nicaragua,” especially since 2018 when the Ortega and Murillo regime violently repressed the protests against them, leaving at least 320 dead, according to the reports of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR).
The report of @CIDH upon #Nicaragua he could not be clearer in his conclusions.
The Ortegas seek to perpetuate themselves in power. There is no independence. The elections will be a sham.
From @RenewEurope we ask that the EU act accordingly ?https://t.co/ESvYWTtTLg#SOSNicaragua– Soraya Rodríguez (@sorayarr_) October 29, 2021
“The EU cannot cover up an illegitimate electoral process but, in addition, the Council must make use of all foreign policy tools to demand responsibility for the serious human rights violations by the Nicaraguan authorities and urge the immediate release of prisoners. politicians arbitrarily detained. The time to act is now, ”said Rodríguez, coordinator of Renovar Europa in the Subcommittee on Human Rights.
Last June, this group of MEPs sent a letter to Ortega, in which they warned that if “transparent, free and fair” elections are not guaranteed, a scenario similar to Venezuela could occur, when the EU ignored the elections. In the case of the country, it could mean the exit from the Association Agreement (AdA) that they have with Central America.
Also the High Commissioner of the European Union, Joseph Borrell, recently ruled on the cancellation of the legal status of the Citizens for Freedom (CxL) party, noting that in this way the regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo stripped the process of all credibility election of 2021.
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