Luis Almagro called for the release of Arturo Cruz, the opposition presidential candidate arrested by the Nicaraguan regime

The Secretary General of the OAS, Luis Almagro, on Saturday demanded the release of Arturo Cruz, Nicaraguan presidential candidate arrested earlier at Managua airport.

“The manipulation of the security forces and the judiciary to imprison opposition candidates is unacceptable “, wrote Almagro en his Twitter account, adding that the arrest “This puts Nicaragua outside of inter-American and international legality. These actions are contrary to free and fair elections ”.

Wednesday, Almagro questioned the disqualification of Cristiana Chamorro’s political candidacy, the biggest rival of President Daniel Ortega for the November elections.

“Nicaragua is heading for the worst possible elections, and this new attack on democracy makes it even more impossible to hold free, fair and transparent elections in the country “he said in a statement.

Almagro recalled that “the politicized treatment of justice and the de facto ban on candidates” violate international agreements signed by Nicaragua., such as the Inter-American Democratic Charter and the OAS Charter.

His statement called put an end to the harassment of opponents and “reorient the country towards democracy” with free elections and international observation.

Cruz’s arrest

The presidential candidate Arturo Cruz was arrested this Saturday at Managua airport while returning from the United States, suspected of having attacked “against Nicaraguan society,” reported the public prosecutor without giving details. Cruz “is being investigated by the national police for strong indications that he attacked the company Nicaraguan and the rights of the people ”, insists the text

The national police in turn indicated that they “carry out all relevant investigative procedures and refer the person under investigation to the competent authorities for prosecution and determination of criminal liability”.

67 years old, Cruz presented his candidacy two months ago for the presidential elections of November 7 by the Citizen’s Alliance for Freedom (CXL, right).

Police say he is under investigation for crimes provided for in the Law for the Defense of People’s Rights and Sovereignty, approved in December.

This rule punishes “acts which undermine independence, sovereignty and self-determination, which incite foreign interference in internal affairs, require military intervention, and organize themselves with funding from foreign powers to to commit acts of terrorism and destabilization “.

Cruz was Nicaraguan Ambassador to the United States between 2007 and 2009, under the Sandinista government. After resigning from this post, he resumed his academic activities at the Central American Institute of Business Administration (INCAE).

The candidate had traveled to the United States on an unspecified date and He was returning home this Saturday without the reason for his trip being informed. A day before his arrest, he warned via Twitter that he was considering withdrawing from the electoral race. If the Nicaraguan authorities “continue the dance of inhibitions and we find ourselves without other candidates the logical thing is that this server does not participate in this process (…) seriously consider participating in this bogus exercise“, He wrote on the social network.

Besides Cruz and Chamorro, the 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.

With information from AFP and EFE