No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeTopicsLatin AmericaUS freezes visas for 100 Nicaragua officials

US freezes visas for 100 Nicaragua officials

The US State Department on Monday blocked visas for 100 Nicaraguan legislators and judicial system officials and their families Monday, saying they were believed complicit in the government’s campaign against political opponents.

The department said those blacklisted were “believed to be responsible for, or complicit in, undermining democracy, including those with responsibility for, or complicity in, the suppression of peaceful protests or abuse of human rights.”

It cited the Daniel Ortega government’s arrests of 26 political opponents and democracy activists.

The department also said those blacklisted had supported new “repressive” laws used to restrict free speech, dissent and participation in the political process.

Last week the regime arrested five people, including a candidate for the presidency and leaders of a peasant movement, for allegedly threatening the country’s “sovereignty” based on a law initiated by Ortega and approved by parliament in December.

Monday’s action included revoking US visas of those who already had them.

“The United States will continue to use the diplomatic and economic tools at our disposal to push for the release of political prisoners and to support Nicaraguans’ calls for greater freedom, accountability, and free and fair elections,” the State Department said.

Trending Now

Keylor Navas Leads Pumas to Victory in His Liga MX Debut

Keylor Navas kicked off his Mexican league journey with Pumas UNAM in style, leading the team to a 2–0 win over Querétaro at Estadio...

El Salvador Retries Environmentalists Over 1989 Wartime Killing

A new trial against five Salvadoran environmentalists, accused of murdering a woman in 1989 during the civil war, will take place on Tuesday, announced...

Costa Rican Bishop Presents Coffee and Honey to Pope at the Vatican

Monsignor Daniel Blanco, Auxiliary Bishop of San José, Costa Rica, presented Pope Leo XIV with a special gift during the general audience held at...

Judicial Corruption Exposed in Costa Rica’s Latest Drug Bust

Costa Rican authorities took down a cocaine smuggling operation Tuesday that moved drugs from South America to the United States, with a judicial worker...

Panama Farmer Receives Land Title After 60-Year Wait at Age 109

A 109-year-old Panamanian farmer has received the land title for the property where he lives and works—six decades after first requesting it from the...

Costa Rica Fails to Meet Human Rights Standards for Deportees

The Ombudsman's Office has confirmed that Costa Rica was unprepared to provide adequate care for deportees who have entered the country since February. This...
spot_img
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica