Experts accuse Nicaragua of ‘cover-up’ after military incursion into Costa Rica

The Tico Times partners with La Prensa to translate their stories and amplify them to our English-speaking readers who want to stay informed. 

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Critics are accusing Daniel Ortega’s regime of a “cover-up” after the Nicaraguan government responded with a police note to Costa Rica’s complaint about a military incursion into its territory. 

Although the Nicaraguan Army is apparently the main culprit in this case, as of Wednesday it had not responded to the Costa Rican complaint. Rather the Orteguista Police (PO) did it through a press release.

The note indicates that a Nicaraguan “offender” dead, but his death is not explained and it does not mention the Army.

“The government is covering up the Army. Notice that they do not say who killed the alleged criminal. Although they recognize that there is a dead man, they only say that the police are investigating,” said the former ambassador of Nicaragua to the United Nations, Julio Icaza Gallard.

On Monday, Aug. 26, Costa Rican authorities began investigating the incursion of Nicaraguan military into their territory. Witnesses said six uniformed military members had entered Costa Rica and killed a Nicaraguan.

These facts were confirmed Tuesday by the Judicial Investigation Police (OIJ) of Costa Rica, and the government of that country expressed “its most energetic and resounding protest” against the regime of Daniel Ortega.

Icaza said that in this case, Nicaragua cannot claim that it was an incursión en caliente — similar to that which allows entrance into private property or domicile when a criminal is prosecuted in Nicaragua — because international law is different from domestic law.

The former ambassador of Nicaragua in Germany, José Dávila, said that the event denounced by Costa Rica is no stranger to the reality that Nicaragua lives.

“Everything that usually happens in Nicaragua is a consequence of a country that represses its people and citizens who are fleeing to a safer country, such as Costa Rica. So, that narrative of the facts is imaginable. People are fleeing from here and there they are finding refuge,” Dávila said.

The former diplomat said that Costa Rica could elevate its complain via formal measures, such as the Organization of American States (OAS) or the United Nations, to request the formation of an investigative commission.

This commission would have to arrive at the scene to collect data and prepare an opinion that demarcates responsibilities and indicates the veracity of what happened. According to Dávila, the Army would have to collaborate in that investigation.

The former diplomat also said that this incident is an indication that the crisis in Nicaragua not only persists, but continues to deepen.

Read the original story in Spanish at La Prensa, first published on August 28, 2019.

This story was translated into English and republished in The Tico Times as part of a partnership with La Prensa to help bring their coverage of the Nicaraguan crisis to an English-speaking audience.