Nicaragua: US State Department urged Daniel Ortega’s regime to release opposition leader Cristiana Chamorro

The State Department of United States urged the regime Daniel ortega release the leader of the opposition, Christian Chamorro, was detained in recent days by Nicaraguan justice.

In a statement, the State Department said that Chamorro’s arrest “it is an abuse of their rights, and represents an attack on democratic values, as well as a clear attempt to thwart free and fair elections ”.

“Ms. Chamorro’s arrest takes place in the middle of relentless attacks on pro-democracy presidential candidates and independent media. The Ortega regime is committed to prevent Ms. Chamorro from participating in the November elections and, in May, unfounded annulled the legal status of two opposition political parties“Added the letter.

In this sense, the statement underlined that “Instead of implementing electoral reforms within the deadline set by the Organization of American States, President Ortega instituted new restrictions and reduced electoral transparency.

“The current conditions of repression and exclusion are not compatible with credible elections. The region and the international community must stand alongside the Nicaraguan people to support their right to freely choose their government, ”concluded the department headed by Antony Blinken.

Chamorro was arrested on Wednesday after a Managua court issued a search and arrest warrant for crimes of “mismanagement, ideological lying in real competition with the crime of money, property and asset laundering ”.

Chamorro, 67, had publicly stated that he intention to represent the opposition as the sole candidate in the November 7 elections. Recent polls place her as the candidate with the most popular support after Ortega.

Friday’s statement is a jump in quality from another this week, in which Blinken had estimated that the house arrest and the disqualification of the opposition denoted a “lack of confidence” of the government of Daniel Ortega in its popular support.

“When I hear our Nicaraguan counterparts talk about all the positive things the government has done for the people, given all of this, I guess they would welcome the judgment of the people in a free and fair election. Apparently this is not the case, ”said the head of US diplomacy.

“I think this is a sign of a total lack of confidence”, Blinken added, in a channel interview CNN in Spanish.

The United Nations (UN) and the European Union (EU) also expressed Thursday their repudiation of the arrest of Cristiana Chamorro Barrios by decision of Daniel ortega. The UN has assured that the measures against Chamorro could “worsen confidence” in the November 7 elections, in which President Daniel Ortega is seeking a new re-election.

“We are very aware of the recent legal proceedings against Cristiana Chamorro”Asked about this decision, said spokesman Stéphane Dujarric, who recalled that it comes in the midst of a period of “tension” between the Sandinista regime and the opposition. “These events create the risk of a deterioration of confidence in the next elections”said the spokesperson for the organization’s general secretary, António Guterres.

The opposition, daughter of former president Violeta Barrios de Chamorro (1990-1997), who defeated Ortega in the 1990 elections, she was also disqualified from participating in the elections next November under the argument of “not fully enjoy their civil and political rights”.

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