The government of Daniel Ortega denied entry into his country to the renowned Nicaraguan scientist and environmentalist Jaime Incer Barquero, 89 years old, who has distinguished himself for his research on climate change and natural phenomena, reported sources close to the family to the Voice of America.
Barquero is one of the country’s most prominent scientists and is considered the first biologist to exist in Nicaragua.
Barquero had tried to enter Nicaragua days ago with his wife, Velia de Barquero, who were in Miami, United States, but the airline notified them of the refusal to travel by order of the government without a clear response.
The government of Daniel Ortega has not commented on the matter.
Barquero was an advisor to the Sandinista government on environmental issues and Minister of Environment and Natural Resources (MARENA) from 1990 to 1994, during the government of former President Violeta Barrios de Chamorro.
Despite having been a state advisor, Barquero maintained a critical stance on deforestation in protected areas of Nicaragua and constantly questioned the poor management of natural resources in the Central American country.
The Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Managua, Silvio Báez, exiled in Miami and stripped of his nationality by the Sandinista government of Daniel Ortega, expressed on the social network X his solidarity for what he described as “exile by the dictatorship.”
“I wish to express my solidarity with Dr. Jaime Incer Barquero, the greatest scientist and environmentalist in Nicaragua, forced into exile by the dictatorship after denying him entry into the country. My admiration and gratitude to Dr. Jaime Incer for his scientific stature and his civic dignity,” wrote Báez in X.
Poet Gioconda Bello also commented on the same social network and said it was difficult to react to the news against an “exemplary” citizen.
“He did not know how to react to the news that Dr. Jaime Incer, the most prominent geographer, scientist and scholar that Nicaragua has ever had, was denied return to his country. How can we explain this level of mistreatment and cruelty against an exemplary citizen?” lamented the Nicaraguan poet, who was also stripped of her nationality.
Since 2018 they emerged massive protests against the government of Daniel Ortega for reforms to social security, the Sandinista administration has imposed a policy that human rights organizations describe as “punishment” against critical and dissident voices.
Ortega has denied entry to Nicaragua to journalists, activists, human rights defenders and priests. At the same time, he has stripped more than 222 opponents of their Nicaraguan nationality.
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