The US denounced the authoritarianism of the Nicaraguan regime and warned that it posed a threat to Central America.

The United States denounced this Wednesday the “authoritarianism” of Daniel Ortega’s dictatorship in Nicaragua and warned of the risk that Central America would follow the same course, in welcoming the 200th anniversary of the independence of several countries in the region.

“Anti-democratic developments pose a growing threat to the future of Central America”, Noted the US Secretary of State, Anthony Blink, In a statement to mark the homeland party a Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.

The head of US diplomacy highlighted the situation in Nicaragua, where he aimed against Ortega and his wife and vice president, Rosario Murillo.

“The Nicaraguan government has led the country down the gloomy path of authoritarianism through a subordinate judiciary, the seizure of political parties and the imprisonment of journalists, opposition leaders and others who advocate free elections and just “, Blinken pointed out.

“Unfortunately, alarming attacks on judicial independence, civil society and the press, and the separation of powers in other parts of Central America increase the risks that the people and economies of these nations will also face a future. more authoritarian, ”he added.

In the last three months, 36 opponents have been arrested in Nicaragua, Including seven presidential candidates for the November 7 elections, where Ortega, in power since 2007, aspires to a fourth consecutive term.

Among the prisoners are 07:00 aspirants to the Presidency, While among the exiles is the 2017 Cervantes Prize and former vice president in the first Sandinista government (1979-1990), Sergio Ramírez, a critic of Ortega whom the prosecution accuses of “committing acts that encourage and incite hatred and violence.”

The United States imposed several rounds of economic sanctions and visa restrictions on senior Nicaraguan officials and direct relatives of Ortega, Including their children.

Nicaragua is experiencing a socio-political crisis that erupted in 2018, when Nicaraguans went out to protest against Ortega. In the context of the crisis 328 deaths were recorded, at least 103,000 exiled and hundreds of opponents imprisoned, According to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

Both Ortega and the president of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernández, They promoted constitutional reforms that allowed their immediate re-election. And now in El Salvador, President Nayib Bukele may also seek to renew his term following a decision of the Supreme Court, the Constitutional Chamber was restored by the Legislative Assembly akin to the president.

In Guatemala, the government of Alejandro Giammattei dismissed the main anti-corruption prosecutor, Juan Francisco Sandoval, in July., Who said he had been asked not to investigate the president without the consent of the attorney general.

“Threats to democratic institutions and human rights in several Central American countries force us to prioritize the strengthening of the essential principles of democracy: transparency, the rule of law, equality and respect for human rights “, Blinken stressed.

He also emphasized that “The terrible world pandemic” it demands efforts to generate “more equitable economic opportunities” to overcome “historical inequalities in the region”.

More than 1.5 million undocumented migrants from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras have been detained since 2018 on the South American border, where they are fleeing violence and poverty in their countries. one of the most thorny issues facing the Joe Biden government.

Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua commemorate this Wednesday the bicentennial of the signing of the Act of Independence of Central America, on September 15, 1821, by which they broke with Spanish rule.

(With information from AFP and EFE)

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