No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeTopicsLatin AmericaCanada sanctions Nicaraguan officials with ties to Ortega

Canada sanctions Nicaraguan officials with ties to Ortega

Canada on Wednesday imposed financial sanctions on 15 Nicaraguan officials close to President Daniel Ortega, including his daughter Camila Antonia Ortega Murillo, in response to “ongoing human rights violations” in that country.

These sanctions are in addition to those that the North American country had implemented two years ago against nine other officials and those announced in June by its neighbor, the United States.

“Since 2018, the Government of Nicaragua has been committing gross and systematic human rights violations against its people, including campaigns of repression and state-sponsored violence against public protests and suppression of any political opposition,” said the Canadian Foreign Minister, Marc Garneau, in a statement.

The sanctions include freezing the assets of those affected, as well as the prohibition of transactions in Canada or with Canadian companies.

In addition to the president’s daughter, coordinator of the National Commission for Creative Economy, the list includes the president of the Central Bank, Leonardo Ovidio Reyes Ramírez; the deputy Edwin Ramón Castro Rivera; and General Julio Modesto Rodríguez Balladares, executive director of the Military Social Welfare Institute.

“Canada continues to call for the immediate release of the arbitrarily arrested, imprisoned or detained political candidates, as well as the release of all political prisoners, and an end to the arrest and harassment of the independent media and civil society actors,” the Canadian minister declared.

A total of 26 opponents of the Ortega government, including six presidential candidates, have been detained since the beginning of June, with a few months remaining before the elections.

Ortega, 75, who is expected to run for a fourth consecutive term, says the arrested opponents are neither “candidates” nor “politicians,” but “criminals” seeking to overthrow him with financial support from the United States.

In 2018, Nicaragua was rocked by a wave of protests demanding the resignation of Ortega and his wife, the country’s vice president, accused by their detractors of having established a dictatorship marked by corruption and nepotism.

A violent repression left 328 dead, hundreds of opponents were imprisoned and more than 100,000 Nicaraguans went into exile.

Trending Now

Panama Vows Constitutional Action Amid Worsening Bocas del Toro Unrest

Panama’s President José Raúl Mulino announced Thursday that he will take “constitutional measures” to stop the wave of protests and road blockades affecting the...

Six Arrested in Costa Rica for Hiding Drugs in Boats, Surfboards

A Costa Rican criminal group was taken down this week after smuggling 32 kilograms of cocaine into Australia, hidden inside roll-up inflatable boats. The...

Costa Rica’s Rare Birds at Risk as Human Activity Threatens Extinction

Costa Rica’s bare-necked umbrellabird, a striking black bird with a red throat pouch and crest, is in trouble. A new study in Nature Ecology...

Nicaraguan Critic Roberto Samcam Assassinated in Costa Rica

A retired Nicaraguan army officer and outspoken critic of the Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo government was shot dead Thursday in Costa Rica, where...

Costa Rica’s Pride 2025 Closing Event Bans Minors, Sparks Outrage

Costa Rica’s Pride 2025 closing event, set for June 29 at San José’s Plaza de la Democracia, was thrown into controversy when the government...

Why Costa Rica Feels Like a Safe Haven for This Longtime Expat

If someone asked me to sum up why I live in Costa Rica in 5 words or less, my answer could well be: “It...
spot_img
Costa Rica Tours
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