US slaps new sanctions on Nicaragua on Ortega’s inauguration day
2 years, 11 months ago

US slaps new sanctions on Nicaragua on Ortega’s inauguration day

Al Jazeera  

The move comes after President Daniel Ortega won a questionable consecutive fourth term in office in November. The United States on Monday imposed a new round of sanctions on Nicaraguan officials, including the defence minister, on the day President Daniel Ortega was sworn into office following highly questionable elections. Monday’s action, the latest sanctions targeting Nicaragua that the US has coordinated with allies, aims to increase pressure on Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo. “In concert with democracies in the international community, the United States will continue to call out the Ortega-Murillo regime’s ongoing abuses and will deploy diplomatic and economic tools to support the restoration of democracy and respect for human rights in Nicaragua,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement. New sanctions and visa restrictions target those complicit in the Ortega-Murillo regime’s repression, including politically motivated arrests and efforts to stifle independent media.

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History of this topic

US officials to investigate labor and human rights abuses in Nicaragua
2 weeks ago

US officials to investigate labor and human rights abuses in Nicaragua

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is opening an investigation into labor and human rights abuses in Nicaragua, impacting relations with a country the U.S. has a free trade deal with amid growing concerns over President Daniel Ortega’s increasingly authoritarian rule. “Numerous reports suggest the Government of Nicaragua is engaging in repressive acts that harm Nicaragua’s own workers and people, undermine …

US slaps sanctions on Venezuelan officials over post-election crackdown
Trending News
4 weeks ago

US slaps sanctions on Venezuelan officials over post-election crackdown

Al Jazeera  

The US says its sanctions target 21 individuals involved in anti-democratic practices and the repression of protests. “Maduro and his representatives’ repressive actions in the wake of the Venezuelan presidential election are a desperate attempt to silence the voices of its citizens,” Bradley Smith, the acting undersecretary of the Treasury Department, said in a statement. “Venezuela’s 2024 presidential election did …

Nicaragua approves reforms boosting power of President Ortega and his wife
1 month ago

Nicaragua approves reforms boosting power of President Ortega and his wife

Al Jazeera  

Legislators greenlight reforms giving more authority to Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, accused of stifling dissent. The changes elevate Ortega’s wife and vice president, Rosario Murillo, to the post of “co-president”. Rights groups and international observers slammed the vote as a “sham” and accused the Sandinista leader of stifling dissent by trying to legalise the “absolute power” Ortega and his …

Nicaragua’s Ortega proposes reform to make him and his wife ‘copresidents’
1 month ago

Nicaragua’s Ortega proposes reform to make him and his wife ‘copresidents’

LA Times  

In this 2018 photo, Nicaragua’s President Daniel Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, lead a rally in Managua, Nicaragua. Nicaragua’s President Daniel Ortega on Wednesday proposed a constitutional reform that would officially make him and his wife, current Vice President Rosario Murillo, “copresidents” of the Central American nation. Ortega put forward another bill Wednesday that would make it …

Nicaragua’s Ortega proposes reform to make him and his wife ‘copresidents’
1 month ago

Nicaragua’s Ortega proposes reform to make him and his wife ‘copresidents’

Associated Press  

MEXICO CITY — Nicaragua’s President Daniel Ortega on Wednesday proposed a constitutional reform that would officially make him and his wife, current Vice President Rosario Murillo, “copresidents” of the Central American nation. Ortega put forward another bill Wednesday that would make it illegal for anyone to enforce sanctions from the United States or other foreign bodies “within Nicaraguan territory.” The …

What’s behind the latest US sanctions on Zimbabwe President Mnangagwa?
8 months, 3 weeks ago

What’s behind the latest US sanctions on Zimbabwe President Mnangagwa?

Al Jazeera  

Have sanctions ever achieved much in Zimbabwe, and how do they affect the country’s economy? “The changes we are making today are intended to make clear what has always been true: our sanctions are not intended to target the people of Zimbabwe,” Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said. A 2022 Institute of Security Studies Africa report found that investors tend …

US sanctions Nicaragua’s attorney general over human rights concerns
9 months ago

US sanctions Nicaragua’s attorney general over human rights concerns

Al Jazeera  

Washington says Morales Urbina ‘exploited her office to facilitate a coordinated campaign to suppress dissent’. The United States has imposed sanctions on Nicaragua’s attorney general for what it says is her role in the government’s “unjust persecution of political prisoners and civil society”. Wendy Carolina Morales Urbina, who has been the attorney general since 2019, “has exploited her office to …

US sanctions Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa over alleged abuses
9 months, 2 weeks ago

US sanctions Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa over alleged abuses

Al Jazeera  

US targets Mnangagwa, his wife and top government officials in overhaul of sanctions regime imposed in 2003. The United States has sanctioned Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa, his wife and senior government officials for their alleged involvement in corruption and human rights abuses. “We are refocusing our sanctions on clear and specific targets: President Mnangagwa’s criminal network of government officials and …

Experts report Nicaraguan ‘systematic human rights violations’ to UN council
9 months, 3 weeks ago

Experts report Nicaraguan ‘systematic human rights violations’ to UN council

The Hindu  

Driven by a desire to squelch critical voices, Nicaragua’s President Daniel Ortega and his entourage have committed systematic human rights violations “tantamount to crimes against humanity,” a group of UN-mandated experts said on Thursday. In a report presented to the UN’s Human Rights Council in Geneva, they said Mr. Ortega, his Vice President and wife Rosario Murillo, and other high-level …

US cancels visas of 100 more Nicaraguan officials for their role in ‘undermining democracy’
1 year, 4 months ago

US cancels visas of 100 more Nicaraguan officials for their role in ‘undermining democracy’

Associated Press  

MEXICO CITY — The U.S. State Department on Saturday imposed visa restrictions on 100 more Nicaraguan officials for their role in supporting the regime of President Daniel Ortega. Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrote in his social media accounts that his office “has taken steps to impose visa restrictions on 100 Nicaraguan officials who restrict Nicaraguans’ human rights and undermine …

State Department sanctions 2 former Salvadoran leaders, dozens of officials in Central America
1 year, 5 months ago

State Department sanctions 2 former Salvadoran leaders, dozens of officials in Central America

Associated Press  

MEXICO CITY — The State Department announced Wednesday it was imposing sanctions on two former Salvadoran presidents and dozens of other officials and judges in Central America. Funes’ successor, former president Salvador Sánchez Cerén, was also sanctioned for “significant corruption by laundering money” while he held the position as vice president. It has become a key talking point in Guatemala’s …

US sanctions Guatemalan officials over ‘undemocratic’ activity
1 year, 5 months ago

US sanctions Guatemalan officials over ‘undemocratic’ activity

Al Jazeera  

The United States government has slapped sanctions on 10 Guatemalan officials, including several accused of undermining democracy and targeting journalists, as the country contends with an ongoing electoral crisis. An election in crisis The report amplifies existing concerns over Guatemala’s fragile democracy, which has faced scrutiny in recent weeks as the country prepares for the second round of voting in …

Iran president rails against US sanctions during visit to Nicaragua
1 year, 6 months ago

Iran president rails against US sanctions during visit to Nicaragua

Associated Press  

MEXICO CITY — In his first visit to Latin America, Iran’s hardline president met Tuesday with his Nicaraguan counterpart and railed against a theme both leaders have in common: U.S. sanctions. Many top figures in Ortega’s government also face U.S. sanctions for crushing dissent and imprisoning or exiling opponents. On Monday, Raisi visited President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela, which is …

US sanctions Nicaraguan judges who removed dissident citizenship
1 year, 8 months ago

US sanctions Nicaraguan judges who removed dissident citizenship

Al Jazeera  

The sanctions come as the government of President Daniel Ortega faces ongoing allegations of silencing dissent. The United States has announced sanctions against three Nicaraguan judges for their role in stripping hundreds of activists and political dissidents of their citizenship, as the Nicaraguan government faces allegations of stifling opposition. Nicaragua’s government, led by Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and Vice President …

‘Rights crisis’: Amnesty report documents abuses in Nicaragua
1 year, 8 months ago

‘Rights crisis’: Amnesty report documents abuses in Nicaragua

Al Jazeera  

The government of President Daniel Ortega has been criticised for targeting dissidents and consolidating power. The human rights organisation Amnesty International has warned that the government of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo is deepening repression in the Central American state. “We’ve shown the continuum of repression to which Nicaraguan society has been subjected and the different …

UN experts accuse Nicaragua government of crimes against humanity
1 year, 9 months ago

UN experts accuse Nicaragua government of crimes against humanity

Al Jazeera  

Nicaragua’s government has committed serious and systematic violations which amount to crimes against humanity, a United Nations-appointed team of human rights experts has said, calling for international sanctions against the government. “The objective is to eliminate by different means any opposing or dissenting voices in the country,” Jan Simon, chair of the Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua, told …

Nicaragua frees 222 political prisoners, sends them to US
1 year, 10 months ago

Nicaragua frees 222 political prisoners, sends them to US

Al Jazeera  

Nicaragua has released 222 political prisoners, including leading opposition figures, student activists and other critics of longtime President Daniel Ortega, and sent them to the United States in what Washington described as a “constructive step”. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who said there was one American citizen among the freed prisoners, welcomed their release on Thursday as a step …

US targets Nicaragua’s gold sector in latest push against Ortega
2 years, 2 months ago

US targets Nicaragua’s gold sector in latest push against Ortega

Al Jazeera  

New sanctions are imposed in response to ‘attacks on democratic actors and members of civil society’, US says. Biden’s executive order gives the US Treasury Department “the authority to target certain persons that operate or have operated in the gold sector of the Nicaraguan economy”, the department said in a statement on Monday. “With President Biden’s new Executive Order, we …

US slaps visa restrictions on 93 Nicaraguan officials
2 years, 6 months ago

US slaps visa restrictions on 93 Nicaraguan officials

Al Jazeera  

The United States has imposed visa restrictions on dozens of Nicaraguan officials, accusing them of having “undermined democracy” in the aftermath of President Daniel Ortega’s successful re-election last year. “The United States remains deeply concerned about the Ortega-Murillo regime’s unjust detentions of political prisoners and ongoing abuses against members of civil society,” Blinken said in a statement. “National Assembly members …

Nicaragua sentences seven opposition figures to prison
2 years, 10 months ago

Nicaragua sentences seven opposition figures to prison

Al Jazeera  

Nicaragua has sentenced seven more opposition figures to lengthy prison terms on charges of “conspiracy to undermine national integrity”. Those sentenced on Thursday were among the dozens arrested in the lead-up to last year’s election, which saw President Daniel Ortega win a second consecutive term in polls dismissed as illegitimate by international observers. Also sentenced was Dora Maria Tellez, a …

Ortega sworn in for 4th straight term as Nicaragua’s leader
2 years, 11 months ago

Ortega sworn in for 4th straight term as Nicaragua’s leader

Associated Press  

MANAGUA, Nicaragua — Nicaragua President Daniel Ortega was sworn in for a fourth consecutive term Monday following elections considered rigged and on a day marked by sanctions from the United States and European Union against members of his government. On Monday evening, Ortega called for the lifting of sanctions against Venezuela and Cuba — both of whose leaders attended the …

Nicaragua detains former OAS ambassador, critic of Ortega
3 years, 1 month ago

Nicaragua detains former OAS ambassador, critic of Ortega

Al Jazeera  

Edgard Parrales was picked up by unidentified men near his home in Managua, his wife and a rights observer say. Nicaragua’s former ambassador to the Organization of American States – who has been critical of President Daniel Ortega – has been detained in Managua, according to his wife and a human rights observer. Edgard Parrales was picked up by identified …

Nicaragua denounces OAS as President Ortega, wife banned from US
3 years, 1 month ago

Nicaragua denounces OAS as President Ortega, wife banned from US

Al Jazeera  

US President Joe Biden accuses Ortega government of using violence against protesters, jailing opponents to win election. US President Joe Biden on Tuesday banned members of the Nicaraguan government from entering the United States as he issued a broad proclamation in response to an election that Washington has denounced as rigged in favour of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega. “The repressive …

US slaps sanctions on Nicaragua officials, citing ‘sham’ election
3 years, 1 month ago

US slaps sanctions on Nicaragua officials, citing ‘sham’ election

Al Jazeera  

US Treasury action sanctioned nine Nicaraguan officials and a public ministry over the November 7 election that saw President Daniel Ortega re-elected to a fourth term. The United States on Monday slapped sanctions on nine Nicaraguan officials and the Public Ministry of Nicaragua, citing “sham national elections orchestrated by President Daniel Ortega” and his Vice President Rosario Murillo. “The United …

Biden signs bill urging Nicaragua sanctions after contested vote
3 years, 1 month ago

Biden signs bill urging Nicaragua sanctions after contested vote

Al Jazeera  

US President Joe Biden has signed into law a bill calling for more sanctions and other punitive measures against the government of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, who at the weekend secured a contentious fourth consecutive term in office. The so-called RENACER Act that Biden signed on Wednesday “imposes sanctions on the government of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, to restrict multilateral …

What next for Nicaragua as Ortega prepares for fourth term?
3 years, 1 month ago

What next for Nicaragua as Ortega prepares for fourth term?

Al Jazeera  

Nicaragua faces critical moment after contentious vote, as experts say nation could see more repression, rights abuses. Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega has secured a fourth consecutive term in Sunday’s elections, despite facing a chorus of criticism from rights groups, opposition figures and international observers who decried the vote as “a sham”. “Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo’s renewed mandate as president …

EXPLAINER: What comes next after Nicaragua’s election
3 years, 1 month ago

EXPLAINER: What comes next after Nicaragua’s election

Associated Press  

MEXICO CITY — Nicaragua’s President Daniel Ortega holds a commanding lead in results from Sunday’s election against a field of little-known challengers. The global human rights organization Amnesty International called Ortega’s apparent reelection “frightening.” “Once again, the people of Nicaragua find themselves in a situation where voicing criticism of the government puts them at grave risk,” said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas …

Nicaragua’s Ortega set to win another term after ‘farce’ election
3 years, 1 month ago

Nicaragua’s Ortega set to win another term after ‘farce’ election

Al Jazeera  

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega is on track to win a fourth consecutive term in office, preliminary results show, in an election denounced as “neither free nor fair” that was preceded by a months-long crackdown on opposition figures and candidates. Shortly before the early results were released, US President Joe Biden accused Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, of …

Nicaragua: Daniel Ortega on course for controversial fourth term
3 years, 1 month ago

Nicaragua: Daniel Ortega on course for controversial fourth term

Al Jazeera  

Sunday’s elections followed a months-long crackdown on opposition and have been criticised by observers. Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega looked set to extend his rule into a fourth term following a controversial election on Sunday, after jailing top rivals and criminalising most dissent. International response US President Joe Biden tore into the Nicaraguan leader, saying in a statement issued before results …

Op-Ed: Daniel Ortega, the freedom fighter-turned-despot in Nicaragua, runs for reelection
3 years, 1 month ago

Op-Ed: Daniel Ortega, the freedom fighter-turned-despot in Nicaragua, runs for reelection

LA Times  

When I left my house in Nicaragua in May to visit my children abroad, a fleeting thought crossed my mind: What if I was never able to return? Although Daniel Ortega’s regime had grown sharply more repressive and dangerous in response to a citizens revolt in 2018, I still didn’t seriously imagine that in a few months I would find …

Nicaragua’s Ortega seeks 4th straight term with foes in jail
3 years, 1 month ago

Nicaragua’s Ortega seeks 4th straight term with foes in jail

Associated Press  

MANAGUA, Nicaragua — Back in May, the chances of Nicaragua President Daniel Ortega’s reelection to a fourth consecutive term on Sunday were looking good. The potential opposition candidates are still jailed or under house arrest, their parties banned, as Ortega faces off against a handful of little-known candidates from small parties friendly to his own Sandinista Front — factions known …

US Congress targets Nicaragua ahead of controversial polls
3 years, 1 month ago

US Congress targets Nicaragua ahead of controversial polls

Al Jazeera  

The United States Congress has approved legislation to sharply increase diplomatic pressure on the government of President Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua, the latest move by a foreign government towards squeezing Managua ahead of controversial elections this weekend. “We are witnessing the worst authoritarian assault on democracy in Latin America in decades,” Senator Bob Menendez, the chair of the Senate Foreign …

Nicaragua’s poll body disqualifies main opposition party
3 years, 4 months ago

Nicaragua’s poll body disqualifies main opposition party

Al Jazeera  

Nicaragua’s electoral council has disqualified the country’s main opposition party from upcoming presidential polls, in which it headed an alliance against the reelection of President Daniel Ortega. The council ordered on Friday the “annulment of the legal status of the Citizens for Liberty party,” according to a court resolution read before pro-government media by the body’s secretary, Luis Luna. According …

EU sanctions 8 Nicaraguan officials amid wide-reaching crackdown
3 years, 4 months ago

EU sanctions 8 Nicaraguan officials amid wide-reaching crackdown

Al Jazeera  

Sanctions target VP Rosario Murillo, wife of President Ortega, and seven others for rights violations and undermining rule of law. The European Union has imposed sanctions on eight Nicaraguan officials, including Rosario Murillo, the country’s vice president and wife of President Daniel Ortega, amid a crackdown on opposition leaders and presidential hopefuls in the Central American nation. The Council of …

US imposes visa curbs on Nicaraguan officials amid crackdown
3 years, 5 months ago

US imposes visa curbs on Nicaraguan officials amid crackdown

Al Jazeera  

US imposes restrictions on 100 Nicaraguan officials it says are involved in government crackdown on political opponents and rights abuses. The United States has imposed visa restrictions on 100 Nicaraguan officials it accuses of being involved in President Daniel Ortega’s escalating crackdown on political opponents ahead of November elections and other rights abuses. “The gravity and intensification of the Ortega …

Ortega allies threaten, as opponents are arrested, flee Nicaragua
3 years, 6 months ago

Ortega allies threaten, as opponents are arrested, flee Nicaragua

Al Jazeera  

For the second time in two years, one of Nicaragua’s most influential journalists, Carlos Fernando Chamorro – a former ally of President Daniel Ortega – has gone into exile. Vice President Rosario Murillo calls it “late justice”, accusing the imprisoned opponents of conspiring with foreign powers to undermine the interests of the nation. The crackdown has alarmed the international community …

Ambassadors recalled after latest Nicaragua arrest
3 years, 6 months ago

Ambassadors recalled after latest Nicaragua arrest

LA Times  

Nicaraguan journalist Miguel Mora speaks to the press June 11, 2019, after his release from prison, at his home in Managua. The presidential candidate was arrested Sunday, according to police, for alleged crimes against “independence and sovereignty.” Mexico and Argentina recalled their ambassadors to Nicaragua for consultations Monday, a day after President Daniel Ortega’s government arrested yet another presidential contender …

Nicaraguan banker arrested in widening crackdown
3 years, 6 months ago

Nicaraguan banker arrested in widening crackdown

Al Jazeera  

Observers accuse President Daniel Ortega of targeting opposition leaders and other figures in advance of November elections. Police in Nicaragua have arrested a leading banker as a crackdown on opposition political leaders and would-be presidential candidates seeking to challenge President Daniel Ortega continues before a planned election later this year. Luis Rivas Anduray, executive president of the private Banco de …

U.S. sanctions daughter of Nicaragua’s president after arrests of opposition members
3 years, 6 months ago

U.S. sanctions daughter of Nicaragua’s president after arrests of opposition members

LA Times  

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega speaks next to Rosario Murillo, the nation’s first lady and vice president, in March 2019. The U.S. Treasury Department slapped sanctions on the daughter of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and a top army official Wednesday, a day after the arrests of two more potential opposition candidates for the presidency. U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price on …

Nicaragua: Crackdown on Ortega’s potential challengers continues
3 years, 6 months ago

Nicaragua: Crackdown on Ortega’s potential challengers continues

Al Jazeera  

US imposes sanctions on Nicaraguan officials after four potential challengers to President Daniel Ortega arrested. Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega faces mounting international criticism after four potential presidential contenders were detained during the past week, prompting United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday to call for their release. Chamorro Garcia, the cousin of another detained presidential hopeful Cristiana Chamorro – seen …

Nicaragua detains third presidential hopeful as criticism grows
3 years, 6 months ago

Nicaragua detains third presidential hopeful as criticism grows

Al Jazeera  

Another potential challenger to Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega is arrested, prompting criticism from US diplomat. Nicaraguan authorities have detained a third potential presidential candidate amid a deepening crackdown by President Daniel Ortega in the run-up to elections later this year. Police said Maradiaga “is being investigated for carrying out acts that undermine independence, sovereignty, and self-determination, inciting foreign interference in …

US sanctions Guatemala officials ahead of Harris meeting
3 years, 7 months ago

US sanctions Guatemala officials ahead of Harris meeting

Al Jazeera  

The US sanctions target a member of Guatemala’s Congress and a former presidential chief of staff over alleged corruption. In a statement, the US Department of the Treasury said it had blacklisted Felipe Alejos Lorenzana, an elected delegate in Guatemala’s Congress, and Gustavo Adolfo Alejos Cambara, who was chief of staff under former President Alvaro Colom. A senior US official …

US sanctions Nicaraguan officials, Cuba-related companies
4 years ago

US sanctions Nicaraguan officials, Cuba-related companies

Al Jazeera  

The sanctions are the latest from the Trump administration targeting Nicaraguan officials supporting Daniel Ortega. The United States on Monday imposed sanctions on three Nicaraguan officials over their support for left-wing President Daniel Ortega’s government. The US Treasury Department said it blacklisted officials including the vice president of the Nicaraguan Supreme Court in an effort to target those continuing to …

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