While several democracies in America have called for the release of more than 20 opponents and activists who were imprisoned in Nicaragua by the regime of dictator Daniel Ortega on the eve of presidential elections in the country, Argentina’s position on the issue is being considered, to say the least, erratic opposition and human rights organizations. Understand what happened.
OAS resolution and UN document
In view of the serious human rights violations that have been recorded in Nicaragua and a renewed wave of persecution that has resulted in the arrest of five pre-candidates for the presidency of the country, the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) adopted a resolution in 15 of June, signed by 26 member countries, expressing “grave concern” that Nicaragua has not implemented “electoral reforms in accordance with applicable international standards”.
The document condemned the “arrest, harassment and arbitrary restrictions imposed on presidential candidates, political parties and independent media”, called for the “immediate release of presidential candidates and all political prisoners” and urged the Nicaraguan government to “implement, without delay, legislative and other measures that comply with applicable international standards, in order to promote transparent, free and fair elections in November, including the good reception of electoral observers from the OAS and other countries”.
Argentina, along with Mexico, abstained from voting, that is, did not support the resolution.
In a joint note with Mexico, Argentina’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that “we do not agree with countries that, far from supporting the normal development of democratic institutions, neglect the principle of non-intervention in internal affairs, so dear to our history. Nor with the intention of imposing guidelines from the outside or unduly hindering the development of electoral processes”.
The country’s abstention was criticized by human rights defenders. Erika Guevara Rosas, director of the NGO Amnesty International for the Americas, said that “the principle of non-intervention in the internal affairs of a State does not apply to human rights violations and crimes under international law”. “It is unacceptable that the governments of Alberto Fernández in Argentina and Andrés Manuel López Obrador in Mexico decide not to accompany the many victims of the human rights crisis in Nicaragua,” he said in a statement.
This generated unease in Argentine politics and with the United States, causing the Argentine government to issue one more release on the issue, this time summoning the ambassador to Nicaragua, Daniel Capitanich, back to Buenos Aires, in order to “conduct a consultation on the worrying political and legal actions carried out by the Nicaraguan government in recent days that have put integrity at risk and the freedom of various opposition figures (including candidates for the presidency), Nicaraguan activists and businessmen”.
Just a day later, this Tuesday (22), Argentina generated more speculation and confusion by not being among the 59 countries that signed a document demanding free elections in Nicaragua, presented during a meeting of the UN Human Rights Council.
What does the Argentine government say
The official explanation, according to another release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is that Argentina is concerned about the situation of human rights in Nicaragua, but that “when it comes to specific considerations for each country [no Conselho de Direitos Humanos da ONU, a Argentina] usually opines on an individual basis”. The Argentine government also clarified that it followed High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet’s request that the UN Human Rights Office be authorized to enter Nicaragua.
In an interview with Argentine newspaper Clarín, Foreign Minister Felipe Solá reinforced the position, saying that “there is a misunderstanding regarding Argentina’s diplomatic positions in multilateral organizations such as the OAS, the Human Rights Council in Geneva and the United Nations” and that Argentina does condemn the situation in Nicaragua, but that the Kirchnerist government does not vote together with other countries when considering the analysis of the human rights of another nation. He also reported that, on June 11, Argentina had already sent a letter to the Nicaraguan government demonstrating its “deep concern” at the detention of prominent opposition figures.
Regarding the OAS resolution, Solá said that President Alberto Fernández did not agree with the passage in which the declaration refers to the laws of Nicaragua. According to the chancellor, a multilateral organization cannot “vote against the laws of a country, because that country has an internal constitutionality check.”
Reviews
Lawyer Javier Ruiz, a specialist in international law, wrote an article published last week by the Infobae website, in which he claims that the current government has a double bias in relation to the principle of non-intervention and that invoking such an argument is a strategy used by countries that violate human rights, such as Venezuela. “The current government was not ashamed to express itself about the repression in Colombia a few days ago. In the case of Colombia, the principle of non-interference by one state in the affairs of another is not valid,” he said, referring to a request by Alberto Fernández for the Colombian government to interrupt “the unique institutional violence that has been exercised” in the country.
“You cannot talk about non-interference, when there are violations of human rights and also the rule of law, as is the case with the Ortega dictatorship”, wrote Ruiz.
Opposition deputy Facundo Suarez Lastra also condemned the decisions of the Fernández government and its chancellor. “The consequences of bad decisions and the supporting role of dictatorships and authoritarian regimes like those of Maduro in Venezuela and Ortega in Nicaragua generate enormous costs for our country and its reputation,” he wrote last week.
“Foreign policy does not escape the erratic policies that this government is adopting in all areas of government,” said Flávio González, professor of law at the University of Buenos Aires (UBA), to People’s Gazette, also mentioning Felipe Solá’s lack of experience in international politics. “To speak of non-interference in the case of Nicaragua is to use an archaic principle given the universal importance of human rights,” he said.
source https://pledgetimes.com/washing-argentina-adopts-erratic-posture-towards-nicaraguas-dictatorship/
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