Ortega Regime Cries “Intervention” in Nicaraguan Affairs

After adding the arrest of 14 members of the opposition, among them four presidential candidates, former Sandinista guerrillas, activists and members of political parties, the regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo tried this weekend to justify their actions, described by national and international organizations as “repressive and in violation” of the human rights of Nicaraguans.

In a 21-page document, the regime expressed its concern about what it called “actions” carried out by some members of the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS), who have introduced a resolution proposal before the organization to address the situation of Nicaragua in the session scheduled for Tuesday, June 15.

The Ortega regime pointed out —without clearly stating the name of the countries to which it refers—, some members of the OAS to be “lobbying and pressing…for the purpose of passing resolutions that interfere in the internal and sovereign affairs of Nicaragua.”

It warned that the lobbying of the missions that make up the OAS, which have publicly denounced that the rights of Nicaraguans are being violated, can only “be considered a serious violation of the purposes and principles of international law, the UN (United Nations Organization) Democratic Charter and the Inter-American Democratic Charter.”

It should be noted that the General Secretary of the OAS, Luis Almagro, accused last week the Ortega-Murillo regime of violating the constitutional order, describing it as a “dictatorship.”

The ruling Sandinista Front defended itself —in the letter—, saying that it is “committed” to holding “free, fair and transparent general elections on November 7” and that it has carried out reforms. Therefore, it indicated that “Nicaragua must demand the non-interference of any foreign government, since an opinion or statement expressed by a foreign government may affect the correct implementation of the electoral process.”

They also highlighted that “Nicaragua does not represent a threat to any county in the world, on the contrary, it has always aimed to establish bilateral relations based on mutual respect, solidarity and cooperation.”

The latest “investigations” promoted by the regime

The Ortega regime, in an attempt to justify itself, detailed the reasons why it says it ordered the arrest of the presidential candidates Cristiana Chamorro, Felix Maradiaga, Juan Sebastian Chamorro and Arturo Cruz, indicating that there is an ongoing investigation for the crimes of “money laundering, fraud, treason or seditious conspiracy.”

They noted that the investigation against candidates and ten other opponents, who have allegedly violated Law 1040 and Law 1055, must take place “without interference from national or foreign actors,” warning that “any attempt by a national or foreign actor to undermine an investigation of this nature…must be perceived as a frontal attack against the principles of respect of the rule of law, democracy, national sovereignty and free self-determination of Nicaragua.”

The regime pointed out without giving details that “some high-level officials of these governments have tried to divert their progress, seeking instead to focus international opinion on the possible candidacies of the accused, rather than on the probability that the resources of its people are being used to destabilize an entire nation, even in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.”

It also took the opportunity to demand that “all unilateral, coercive and illegal measures imposed on countries, institutions or individuals be eliminated,” reiterating that the application of such measures in times of pandemic “raises their illegality to the level of crime against humanity.”

The sanctions so far issued by governments such as the United States have been targeted at members of the Ortega-Murillo government who accused of violating the rights of Nicaraguans. The US government has sanctioned more than 30 close associates of the regime, including: Vice President Murillo, several family members, and nine public institutions or mixed entities, among them the National Police.

This article was originally published in Spanish in Confidencial and translated by Havana Times