100 Nicaraguan officials barred from US entry for repression and detentions

The US State Department has imposed visa restrictions on 100 Nicaraguan municipal officials who allegedly ‘participated in efforts to repress civil society organisations, close civic spaces like that of the Universidad Centroamericana, and unjustly detain courageous individuals who support a free civil society.’

The move is part of ‘additional actions to promote accountability for the Ortega-Murillo regime’s relentless attacks on civil liberties,’ the State Department said.

‘We will continue to work with the international community to promote accountability for those who threaten democracy in Nicaragua, and we remain committed to promoting the fundamental freedoms of the Nicaraguan people and respect for their human rights,’ it added.

Ortega’s government arrested hundreds of opponents in a crackdown following protests in 2018 against the president, who has clung to power since 2007 through successive elections whose fairness has been questioned by the United States and European Union.

The latest visa restrictions were taken pursuant to Presidential Proclamation 10309, ‘which suspends entry into the United States as immigrants and nonimmigrants of persons responsible for policies or actions that threaten democracy in Nicaragua,’ according to the State Department statement.