More opposition leaders arrested Nicaraguan repression Election news

Critics accuse President Daniel Ortega of running against opponents in an election scheduled for later this year.

Nicaragua has arrested major opposition leaders for what observers have described as a crackdown on President Daniel Ortega’s opponents in growing elections this year.

Police on Sunday arrested critic Suyen Barahona Ortega, the leader of the left-wing Unamos opposition, after police arrested three other officials over the weekend.

Barahona is among the nearly a dozen opposition leaders and presidential hopefuls this month arrested or disqualified to submit to the presidential contest to be held in November.

“They are no longer just potential candidates, but political leaders,” said former general Hugo Torres and dissident Sandinista. “This is not a transition to dictatorship, it is a dictatorship in every way.”

The crackdown began on June 2 the police searched the house Cristiana Chamorro, a journalist and presidential candidate, is accused of running for office and is accused of money laundering.

There have been at least 11 political leaders arrested, journalists, meanwhile, have also been questioned by authorities in recent weeks.

According to Loyal Ortega, the authorities only obey the law.

Under legislation passed in December, the Ortega government has the power to unilaterally declare citizens “terrorists” or coup plotters, classify them as “traitors to the homeland,” and ban them from running as candidates.

The law punishes “those who direct or finance the coup … those who encourage foreign intervention, those who demand military intervention … those who propose or plan economic blockades, those who applaud and defend them to impose sanctions on Nicaragua or its citizens.”

Observers have complained that Ortega, who has not yet confirmed his intention to run for re-election for the fourth consecutive term, wants to get rid of the challengers.

On Sunday, Nicaraguan police said they had arrested Barahona for violating the country’s independence and sovereignty, as well as for “causing foreign interference in internal affairs, demanding military intervention and organizing with foreign funding.”

Unamos suffered the latest raids and arrests. “These actions against the leadership of Unamos are part of the escalation of repression by the Ortega regime against the democratic opposition,” the party said in a statement.

Last week, a spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Guterres had called on the Nicaraguan authorities to fully respect international human rights obligations and release political leaders.

“These developments could seriously undermine citizens’ confidence in the democratic process ahead of the November general election, ”Stephane Dujarric told reporters.

U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said Ortega is “becoming an international pariah” and that Nicaragua is moving “away from democracy.”

The United States on Wednesday announced sanctions against four Nicaraguan officials who support Ortega, including the president’s daughter, accused of undermining democracy and abusing human rights.

“President Ortega’s actions are hurting Nicaraguans and deepening the country into tyranny,” Andrea Gacki, director of the Foreign Office’s Office for the Control of Foreign Assets, said in a statement.