The new United States ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS), Francisco Mora, asked the members of the organization to maintain pressure against the governments of Nicaragua, Venezuela and Cuba to return to “democracy.”
“We must speak up and defend democracy when it is under attack. All of our delegations should be concerned about the erosion of democracy and the impact of corruption in the Americas”, he declared in his first intervention before the permanent council of the OAS.
Mora considered that member states “cannot remain silent” when a government “silences the opposition and intimidates civil society.”
Demand release of political prisoners
In this sense, he gave the example of Nicaragua, a country from which he demanded “the immediate and unconditional” release of political prisoners under the Government of Daniel Ortega.
“The OAS member states have to keep up the pressure on the Ortega regime to change its course,” he declared.
He also demanded that Venezuelans “be able to exercise the right to elect their own leaders without repression” and warned that the United States will hold Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro “to account for his atrocities.”
Mora, who declared himself a “proudly Cuban-American,” also raised his voice against the Havana government, which he accused of “harassing and detaining peaceful protesters, journalists, and independent voices.”
“The United States urges member states to stand with the Cuban people by supporting their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly,” he said.
The diplomat opined that the OAS continues to be “a key partner to achieve many of the critical challenges” of the continent.
While some “have come to question the viability” of the OAS, the diplomat claimed that “multilateral institutions are essential” for the region.
Francisco Mora was ratified last December by the US Senate as permanent representative to the OAS, a position that had been vacant since US President Joe Biden took office two years ago.
