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

Costa Rica’s Hyatt Centric Escazú Finalist in GRI Awards

Costa Rica's hotel scene keeps building momentum on the global stage. The Hyatt Centric San José Escazú stands out as a finalist for Best...

Costa Rica Ranger Trapped After Falling off Cliff on Cocos Island

Rescue teams in Costa Rica continue their efforts to save a park ranger who fell down a 40-meter cliff on Isla del Coco. The...

Guatemala Accepts First Honduran Deportees from US

Guatemala has started accepting deportees from other countries as part of its deal with the United States, with the first group of Hondurans arriving...

Costa Rica TSE Seeks to Lift President Chaves Immunity

Costa Rica's electoral tribunal has stepped up pressure on President Rodrigo Chaves by asking lawmakers to strip his immunity over claims of political interference...

Costa Rica’s Draw Against Honduras Boosts World Cup Hopes

Costa Rica held Honduras to a scoreless draw in their World Cup qualifier last night, picking up a point that keeps their qualification hopes...

Costa Rica’s FIFCO Sells Operations to Heineken After Vote

Shareholders of Costa Rica's Florida Ice and Farm Company, known as FIFCO, gave the green light on to sell most of their food, beverage,...
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