Nicaragua: Daniel Ortega’s regime arrests opposition presidential candidate Arturo Cruz

Nicaraguan presidential candidate Arturo Cruz was arrested on Saturday at Augusto C. Sandino International Airport in Managua, while returning from a tour of the United States.reported his press team.

Cruz, the Citizen Alliance opposition presidential candidate, arrived in Managua at 9:00 a.m. local time (3:00 p.m. GMT), but three hours later he was still inside the airport and not answering calls or messages on his cell phone, the source said.

“He left the United States, he communicated when he left, and Since he arrived in Nicaragua he has not communicated, we have tried to call him, to write to him, but we have not had an answer, what we know is that he is being held in the airport, from there we know absolutely nothing“, said to Efe a spokesperson for Cruz’s team.

While several hours passed on Saturday without knowing the whereabouts of the candidate and also a former ambassador, the Nicaraguan public prosecutor confirmed Cruz’s arrest: “He was detained (…) and is the subject of an investigation to have solid evidence of what attacked the society and the rights of the people ”.

In the statement, he specifies that the arrest was carried out in accordance with the Law number 1055 “for the defense of the rights of the people to independence, sovereignty and self-determination”, and specifies that Cruz would be presented before the competent authority.

This fact takes place when There are five months left before the legislative elections, during which President Daniel Ortega, who has governed since 2007, is seeking re-election.

Christian Chamorro Barrios, who according to Cid Gallup could defeat Ortega in the elections of November 7 was charged with alleged “abusive management and ideological lying in competition with the laundering of money, property and assets”, received a house arrest warrant and was disqualified for the presidential race.

Opposition candidates Félix Maradiaga and Juan Sebastián Chamorro denounced having been informed that they had “a prison house until further notice”., despite the fact that they have no charges against him.

Other presidential candidates, like the peasant Medardo Mairena, Afro-descendant George Herníquez Cayasso, journalist Miguel Mora, doctor María Eugenia Alonso and the former leader against Luis Fley denounced being the object of persecution and siege by the national police.

During his visit to the United States, Cruz, former ambassador of the Ortega government (2007-2009) and one of the candidates who meet almost all the conditions required by the electoral power, had questioned his candidacy: “If the dance of inhibitions continues and we end up with no other candidates, the logical thing is that this server is not participating in this (electoral) process.”

In the next elections in Nicaragua, Ortega, whom opponents call a “dictator”, will play 42 years of almost absolute domination of local politics.

With information from the EFE

KEEP READING: