Central America

Arrested opponents are ‘criminals,’ says Nicaragua’s Ortega

AFP

Nicaragua’s leader Daniel Ortega said Wednesday that 19 opposition figures arrested just five months before a presidential election are not politicians but “criminals” who want to “overthrow the government.”

In raids that began on June 2, security and paramilitary forces have arrested five opposition presidential challengers as well as journalists, businessmen and a banker.

Cristiana Chamorro — daughter of former president Violeta Barrios de Chamorro and a favorite to face Ortega in November’s poll — was among those held.

“We are not dealing with pre-candidates, but criminals who have attacked the country,” Ortega said in an official televised ceremony, while accusing the imprisoned of being “agents of the Yankee empire” who “conspire against Nicaragua to overthrow the government.”

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“That is what we are pursuing, that is what is being investigated and that is what will be punished in due course.”

Those held face charges of “inciting foreign interference” under a new law initiated by Ortega’s government and approved by the legislature in December purported to defend Nicaragua’s sovereignty. The law has been widely criticized as a means of freezing out challengers and silencing opponents.

The recent arrests have increased international condemnation.

At a session of the UN’s Human Rights Council in Geneva on Tuesday, 59 nations issued a statement saying they were “deeply concerned that recently enacted laws unduly restrict political participation, freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association” in Nicaragua.

The Organization of American States’ (OAS) human rights council on Wednesday denounced a “new phase of repression” in the country, and urged the body’s judicial arm to protect four of the detained opposition politicians.

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During the OAS session, the United States’ representative Bradley Freden, quoting Secretary of State Antony Blinken, said it was time for Ortega’s government “to change course” and “allow the Nicaraguan people to fully exercise their rights — including their right to choose their leaders in free and fair elections.”

Ortega has been accused of authoritarianism by the opposition and international community, following the brutal repression of demonstrations against his administration in April 2018, which left more than 300 dead and thousands of exiles, according to human rights organizations.

A firebrand Marxist in his younger days, Ortega and his Sandinistas toppled a corrupt autocratic regime to popular applause and seized control of the country in 1979.

He ruled until 1990, returned to power in 2007 and has won two successive reelections. His vice president is his wife, Rosario Murillo.

The 75-year-old is widely expected to run again in the November election, though he has not said so.

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Central America

Guatemala’s Attorney General Fails in Bid for Top Court Seat Amid Corruption Allegations

The Attorney General of Guatemala, Consuelo Porras, failed on Tuesday in her bid to join the country’s highest constitutional court, a position that would have granted her immunity from corruption allegations for which she has been sanctioned by the United States and the European Union.

Porras, whose term as attorney general ends in May, did not receive a single vote in the final round of voting to become a magistrate of the Corte de Constitucionalidad, whose rulings are final and cannot be appealed.

The Supreme Court reelected Dina Ochoa and Claudia Paniagua as its representatives to the Constitutional Court.

Ochoa is considered close to former presidents Jimmy Morales (2016–2020) and Alejandro Giammattei (2020–2024), both accused of corruption. Paniagua, like Porras, has been sanctioned by the United States.

Washington and the European Union have labeled Porras as “corrupt” and “undemocratic,” accusing her of attempting to block the inauguration of Social Democratic President Bernardo Arévalo two years ago.

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In addition, the 72-year-old attorney general—who is seeking a third term—has been accused of forcing anti-corruption officials, journalists, and social leaders into exile. She denies the allegations and claims they are part of a political persecution campaign.

Porras’ chances of remaining in office, a position she has held since 2018, are considered slim, as President Arévalo is responsible for appointing the next attorney general.

Central America

Panama Canal Monitoring Trade as Middle East Conflict Disrupts Shipping

The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) said Monday it is closely monitoring global maritime trade developments following the conflict triggered by joint U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran.

However, the ACP described it as “premature” to predict potential consequences for vessel traffic through the interoceanic waterway, which handles roughly 5% of global maritime trade.

“The Panama Canal continuously monitors the evolution of international maritime trade and the dynamics that may influence its flows,” the authority said in a statement. The canal’s main users are the United States and China, connecting primarily the U.S. East Coast with Asia, including South Korea and Japan.

The ACP emphasized that the canal “continues to operate safely, efficiently, and reliably,” providing uninterrupted service to the global maritime community.

Global Shipping Disruptions

The U.S.-Israeli military operation against Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory actions have disrupted global maritime traffic, particularly oil tanker routes.

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Shipping giants Maersk and CMA CGM have suspended transits through the Strait of Hormuz as well as crossings via the Suez Canal, the key route linking the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea.

As a result, cargo vessels are now rerouting around Africa to reach Europe from the Middle East and Asia — a detour that adds several thousand kilometers and several days to voyages.

Central America

Washington Imposes Visa Ban on La Modelo Director Amid Crackdown in Nicaragua

The United States government announced Wednesday that it has imposed visa restrictions on Roberto Clemente Guevara Gómez, director of Nicaragua’s largest prison, La Modelo, for his involvement in actions that violate human rights.

In a statement, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the measure is intended to promote accountability for abuses committed under what he described as the “Murillo-Ortega dictatorship” against political prisoners.

Rubio specified that Guevara Gómez was designated for participating in “a gross violation of the human rights of a political prisoner.” The sanction was issued under the 2024 Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, which bars the sanctioned individual — and potentially immediate family members — from entering the United States.

“United States demands the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners unjustly detained in Nicaragua,” the statement added.

Ongoing tensions between Washington and Managua

Washington rejected Nicaragua’s November 2021 elections, in which President Daniel Ortega and his wife, now co-president Rosario Murillo, were reelected while seven potential challengers were in prison.

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Relations between the two countries remain tense amid expanding U.S. sanctions and increasing diplomatic pressure on the Nicaraguan government.

On January 10, marking Ortega’s 19 years in power, Nicaragua released “dozens of detainees,” including political prisoners. The move came one day after the U.S. Embassy in Managua stated that “more than 60 people” remain “unjustly detained or disappeared” in the Central American nation.

U.S. officials have continued to push for the “unconditional release” of political prisoners rather than selective or temporary releases.

Ortega, 80, governs alongside Murillo with consolidated authority, having strengthened executive power through constitutional reforms and security measures, while the opposition has been weakened by imprisonment, exile, and the revocation of citizenship and property rights.