The European Union announced on Monday afternoon that it is imposing sanctions on eight more Nicaraguans for violating human rights and undermining democracy in their country. The sanctions mean that the bank accounts and other financial resources of the eight in the EU will be frozen and they will no longer be allowed to travel to or through Member States. The Council of Europe announced that in a statement. One of the eight is the vice president and wife of President Daniel Ortega, Rosario Murillo. A total of fourteen Nicaraguans are on the European blacklist.
“The political situation in Nicaragua has deteriorated further in recent months,” the Council writes. “The political use of the judiciary, the exclusion of candidates from the elections and the arbitrary expulsion of opposition parties are contrary to democratic principles and constitute a serious violation of the rights of the Nicaraguan people.” According to the Council, the immediate reason for the new sanctions is the arrest of presidential candidate Noel Vidaurre last weekend.
Vidaurre is the seventh presidential candidate the president has detained, with the aim of securing an extra term in office. The country will hold elections on November 7 and nearly all of Ortega’s challengers have since been detained. Ortega has been in power since 2007 and also president between 1979 and 1990. The arrests have already sparked international criticism: Argentina and Mexico withdrew their ambassadors from Nicaragua and the United States called for Ortega to be treated as a dictator.
Also read: How do you steal an election? Daniel Ortega and his wife know
source https://pledgetimes.com/european-sanctions-against-eight-more-nicaraguans-including-vice-president/
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