Central America
Colombia hardens tone against Ortega, rejects his “dictatorial actions”.
February 24 |
Despite having used a conservative tone in its most recent pronouncements on the banishment and stripping of the nationality of Nicaraguan political opponents by the government of Daniel Ortega, a statement from the Colombian Foreign Ministry was more forceful on Thursday and rejected the “dictatorial actions” of the Nicaraguan head of state.
According to the text of the Colombian Foreign Ministry, the South American country “has registered with revulsion the measures taken arbitrarily” by Ortega against political prisoners, “whose only crime has been to defend democracy, the right to criticism and universal human rights”.
Last Friday, a communiqué from the Foreign Ministry expressed “concern” over the withdrawal of the nationality of 94 citizens, and regretted the stripping of the nationality of more than 200 former political prisoners sent to the United States, but said that their release and transfer was “an important step for the national dialogue”. And he called for “confidence-building measures that contribute to national reconciliation, respect for the rule of law and the well-being of the Nicaraguan people”.
But in less than a week, the government of President Gustavo Petro hardened his words by pointing out that Ortega’s actions evoke “the worst moments of the dictatorship of Atanasio Somoza that Sandinismo managed to overcome”.
He also condemned the “surprising and inhuman” exile of Nicaraguans who have fought “for the international community” and the use of “vulgar police measures”, and highlighted the struggle of those who have decided to stay in Nicaragua, taking as an example the case of the Bishop of Matagalpa, Monsignor Rolando Alvarez, sentenced to 26 years in prison.
Colombia also urged the world “to react” and asked the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Mirjana Spoljaric, to request authorization to visit the Nicaraguans still imprisoned, since they are “victims” and “international humanitarian law covers them”.
“The authoritarianism that has been imposed in the sister republic has violated jus cogens norms”, adds the communiqué.
The Foreign Ministry also confirmed that it seeks to contact the exiles who wish to obtain Colombian nationality: “They would honor us very much”. Precisely, on Wednesday, Colombia offered nationality to writer Sergio Ramirez, who met with the Colombian Foreign Minister, Alvaro Leyva Duran, on Tuesday, in Madrid.
Argentina was the first country in the continent to offer nationality to “stateless” Nicaraguans. Subsequently, Chile, Spain and Mexico followed suit.
Central America
Costa Rica faces historic vote on lifting presidential immunity for Rodrigo Chaves
Costa Rica, a country internationally recognized for its democratic and political stability, is heading toward an unprecedented decision: whether to lift President Rodrigo Chaves’s immunity so he can face a criminal trial over alleged irregular management of funds from the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI).
On Wednesday, the Legislative Assembly formed a commission of three lawmakers to analyze the accusation against the president, which was forwarded earlier this month by the Supreme Court of Justice. The commission has 20 days, extendable for another 20, to issue a report so that the full Assembly can vote on whether to lift the president’s immunity.
Lifting the immunity would require 38 votes — two-thirds of the legislature — which is largely composed of opposition parties.
If immunity is removed, prosecutors would be able to continue their investigation and potentially question the president. If the motion fails, the case would return to the judiciary and remain pending until Chaves’s term ends in May 2026.
Since the country’s last civil war in 1948 and the abolition of the army later that year, Costa Rica has held uninterrupted elections, every president has completed their term without major issues, and none has ever had their immunity lifted — although several have faced judicial proceedings.
Central America
Honduras sees ongoing killings of land defenders and attacks on press, warns NGO
The Association for Participatory Citizenship (ACI PARTICIPA) denounced on Thursday that killings of land defenders and attacks aimed at silencing the press continue in Honduras.
“We continue to see murders of defenders of land and territory, as well as aggressions to silence the press. In 2024, there were 490 attacks and aggressions that constitute human rights violations,” said ACI PARTICIPA’s executive director, Hedme Castro, during the presentation of the 2024 Report on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders in Honduras.
Castro noted that the aggressions range “from attempts on lives, threats, harassment, intimidation, and smear campaigns, which have become very frequent, to obstruction of work, surveillance, and criminalization.”
She highlighted that, although only seven defenders were killed in 2024 compared to 24 in 2023, “last year we saw a significantly high number of women murdered, and cases of missing children.”
Moreover, Castro criticized the authorities for failing to address the violence. “There is no response from the authorities to reduce the violence in the country; in fact, I believe that the ‘fathers of the nation’ (members of Parliament) are not setting the right example, and the situation in the Legislative branch is actually fueling violence,” she added, referring to frequent violent incidents in Congress.
The ACI PARTICIPA report also notes that the government led by President Xiomara Castro has made “an important effort over the past two years to improve citizens’ access to basic rights, helping to cushion the effects of economic deterioration, although a decent standard of living has yet to be achieved for the majority of Hondurans.”
Central America
Daniel Ortega’s last historic sandinista ally detained in Managua
Former Sandinista revolutionary commander and presidential economic adviser Bayardo Arce Castaño was arrested on Thursday in Managua for alleged irregular transactions involving state-owned assets, according to local media reports.
The arrest was carried out by agents from the Special Operations Directorate of the Police, who raided his residence in the southern part of the Nicaraguan capital. The Attorney General’s Office (PGR) is investigating Arce for “transactions and/or negotiations” that, according to authorities, do not comply with current legal standards.
Arce, 76, was one of the nine historic commanders of the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) who led the overthrow of dictator Anastasio Somoza in 1979. Since 2007, he had served as the economic adviser to dictator Daniel Ortega, and was the last of the historic commanders still aligned with the regime.
The Attorney General’s Office accused Arce of contempt after he refused to appear for questioning about properties registered in his name. Authorities allege that Ricardo Bonilla, Arce’s assistant, was also involved in questionable financial dealings and was jailed after failing to comply with a summons.
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