The Government of the United States announced this Monday, June 13, the restriction of 93 visas to Nicaraguan officials, including judges, prosecutors, members of the National Assembly and officials of the Ministry of the Interior, reported in a statement Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Blinken said that those sanctioned are believed to have “undermined democracy after the illegitimate re-election of Daniel Ortega in November 2021.” He harshly questioned the judges and prosecutors of the regime to argue the sanctions, while that of the legislators and government officials attributed them to the persecution of civil society organizations.
“The judges and prosecutors aligned with the Regime share the complicity in the efforts of the Ortega Murillo Regime to undermine democracy through their participation in the trials and convictions of opposition leaders, human rights defenders, private sector leaders and student advocates,” explained Blinken.
The US stands strong against the Ortega-Murillo regime’s human rights abuses and repression of and disregard for the Nicaraguan people. To reiterate our commitment @StateDept imposed additional visa restrictions on those who have undermined democracy in Nicaragua.
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) June 13, 2022
The head of US diplomacy recalled that prisoners of conscience suffer from lack of adequate food, medical care and even sunlight. He recalled the death of one -retired general Hugo Torres- and the isolated situation in which the authorities keep the rest, for which they demanded the immediate and unconditional release of the inmates.
“Political prisoners held under house arrest are also abused and cannot choose their own health care providers or receive visitors. The regime’s corrupt judicial and security systems arrested and prosecuted these civic leaders and human rights defenders for telling the truth, practicing courageous journalism, defending their communities through the work of NGOs, and publicly advocating for alternatives to government. regime’s repression,” said Blinken.
Read: Relatives of political prisoners: “Torture and cruel treatment continue in El Chipote”
The persecution of the NGOs
The Secretary of State blamed deputies and government officials for participating in the reinforcement of “authoritarian control over Nicaraguan citizens and institutions through the use of repressive laws to strip more than 400 NGOs and a dozen universities of their legal status.” ”.
The new criticisms of the justice system, from the US authorities, coincide with the demand to the EU of the European Parliament to impose sanctions on 14 judges and three appeals magistrates, whom they point to participate in the sentencing of political prisoners.
Last week, during the Summit of the Americas, the undersecretary for Western Hemisphere affairs, Brian Nichols, warned that the United States would respond with sanctions if the Nicaraguan executive did not “profound changes”.
Since the state repression of 2018, which left 355 dead in Nicaragua, the White House has imposed individual sanctions on the closest members of Ortega’s leadership, starting with Vice President Rosario Murillo and four of her children.
The dictatorship has said without evidence that it was the target of a coup, increased repression and keeps more than 180 political prisoners behind bars.
