The European Union has sanctioned the wife and son of dictator Daniel Ortega for human rights violations in Nicaragua

The 27 members of the European Union adopted new sanctions on Monday against eight Nicaraguan leaders responsible for the deterioration of democracy and the repression against the opposition, including Vice President and First Lady Rosario Murillo.

The individual restrictions aim to punish those responsible for “serious human rights violations or actions that undermine democracy and the rule of law in Nicaragua,” the Council of the European Union said in a statement. communicated.

With this new round of sanctions, the number of Nicaraguan leaders on the European blacklist increases to 14. Those affected are subject to the freezing of assets, the ban on making funds available to them and the ban on travel within the EU.

In this way, The EU responds to the ‘downward spiral’ in Nicaragua, as described by the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell, after the wave of arrests of candidates, activists, journalists and businessmen in the country, is already considering the presidential elections in November.

The dictator, Daniel Ortega, who Borrell criticized for opting “for the path of confrontation” is still not on the list of those sanctioned, although the fence on his figure has hardened after the sanctions against the vice-president and first lady and their son, Juan Carlos Ortega, director of an official channel.

The 27 also sanctioned, among others, the President of the Assembly, Gustavo Eduardo Porras, the Attorney General, Ana Julia Guido de Romero and the head of the National Police, Juan Antonio Valle. It gives them all a relevant role in the repression against civil society and the democratic opposition.

The political situation in Nicaragua has deteriorated further in recent months. Ortega’s authoritarian drift has been evidenced by the arrest of journalists, activists and opponents, including several presidential candidates.

In addition, the European bloc denounces the political use of the judicial system to exclude candidates and disqualify opposition parties, measures which undermine the credibility of the electoral process, already hampered by an electoral reform which did not respect the recommendations OAS and EU observation missions.

(With information from Europa Press)

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