The request for a arrest warrant The international appeal against Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo by a group of lawyers before the Argentine courts represents a ray of hope in the face of the impunity of the dictatorial couple, according to local opponents.
The lawyers who maintain the criminal accusation, as part of the actions of the international jurisdiction of Argentine legislation, are headed by lawyer Darío Richarte.
Daniel Ortega and his wife, Rosario Murillohave been accused of crimes against humanity against the people of Nicaragua, crimes committed after the anti-government protests of 2018, when the Ortega-Murillos unleashed a fierce depression that ended up killing 355 people, according to evidence collected by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR).
Arturo McFields, former Nicaraguan ambassador to the OASbelieves that the request for an arrest warrant against the dictatorial couple marks the beginning of the end of a dictatorship of horror and death. “It is a day that takes on great relevance in the issue of the struggle for freedom, for human rights and justice in Nicaragua,” he says.
“The lawyers who are handling the case have started a long road, but in one way or another, since the brutality of the regime, this process has been accelerated, so the Argentine government will have a very important role to play, by bringing the dictatorship to international justice, especially in this request that they are presenting, which highlights reports from the UN, IACHR, with abundant evidence,” says McFields.
For the Platform for Unity for Democracy (PUDE), this is a historic step that vindicates the rights of thousands of victims who have filed complaints against the Sandinista dictatorship. In addition, the request by Argentine lawyers to investigate the serious human rights violations that the State of Nicaragua has committed against thousands of people is a “shake-up” for the Sandinista regime.
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“This arrest warrant is not only a symbolic achievement, but also a legal one that reflects the isolation of the Ortega Murillo regime in the international community. The world is watching what is happening in Nicaragua and the noose is beginning to close,” says Yaritza Mairena, a member of the Union of Political Prisoners of Nicaragua (UPPN) and PUDE.
The complaint against the Nicaraguan dictators was filed by a group of lawyers before the National Criminal and Correctional Court number four of the Argentine Judiciary, based in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, in 2022. According to lawyer Richarte, the case has a great deal of evidence ranging from documented murders, kidnappings, political prisoners and forced exile of opponents.
If the request is approved, a red alert may be generated by the International Police (Interpol), which would notify, in this case, the National Police of Nicaraguaon the accused; however, it does not mean that the country where the “wanted” are is carrying out an arrest, and even less so in this case, since the armed forces are controlled by the Sandinista government, led by Ortega and Murillo.
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For the Inter-American Legal Assistance Center on Human Rights (CALIDH), this is a necessary decision, as it marks the beginning of the accountability process, where memory, truth, justice and reparation will be directed towards democracy, human rights and the rule of law.
“This news should bring us joy and satisfaction because there is hope, because countries that are committed to democracy are slowly putting it into practice. We know that these requests (for now) will not have the effectiveness we hope for, since Ortega and Murillo will not be subjected to international justice, but we do believe that accountability is beginning,” Calidh said.
Calidh believes that the International Criminal Court could take on not only the dictatorial couple, but also the entire chain of command that has the people of Nicaragua immersed in a systematic and widespread attack against the opposition sectors, civil society and the population in general.
