[ad_1]
Edgard Parrales was picked up by unidentified men near his home in Managua, his wife and a rights observer said.
His former ambassador to the Organization of American States in Nicaragua – who has been critical of President Daniel Ortega – has been arrested in Managua, according to his wife and a human rights observer.
Edgard Parrales was picked up by men identified near his home on Monday, his wife, Carmen Dolores Cordova, and Vilma Nunez, president of the Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights, said.
“They were caught in his house, it was not police officers in uniform but two people dressed in civilian clothes, who were taken away by car,” Nunez said.
Parrales has been one of the few political analysts willing to openly criticize Ortega, who has been accused of cracking down on dissent, in recent months.
He complained that Ortega’s prediction was “nonsensical.” intention to retire From the OAS, he has accused the Ortega government of repressive actions and regional organizations manipulating elections earlier this month.
“Getting out of the OAS is not so easy,” Parrales said. “It will take two years for this to take effect, in which Nicaragua is still committed to respecting human rights by statute.”
Jose Miguel Vivanco, executive director of the American division of Human Rights Watch, has reported the arrest.
“Ortega’s message is clear: he will go after anyone he criticizes,” Vivanco said on Twitter.
Ortega was elected for a fourth term in the general election convicted of wrongdoing after arresting and imprisoning seven likely opponents before the vote.
The OAS General Assembly voted to condemn the election, saying it was “not free, fair or transparent, and lacked democratic legitimacy.”
All 25 countries voted in favor of the resolution, and seven, including Mexico, abstained. Only Nicaragua voted against it.
The Sandinista Front of the Ortega government and its allies control the congress and all government institutions.
Ortega first served as president from 1985 to 1990, overthrowing the Somoza family dictatorship after the 1979 revolution, before returning to power in 2007.
But critics say it has come to resemble the government that opposed Ortega’s rule. That was especially visible while he was there protests against the government In 2018, the repression of armed forces and pro-government armed groups was violent. Eleven protesters were arrested and more than 300 people were killed in the clashes, Ortega accused the protesters of being “terrorists”.
The government has not given an opinion on Parrales’ arrest.
[ad_2]
Source link
