An intense day defined the political agenda of Nicaragua last Thursday. After 222 political prisoners of Nicaraguan nationality were “deported” to the United States, the Sandinista president Daniel Ortega cleared up any doubts about what many believed was a democratic opening. “Here there has been no negotiation,” Ortega said in an act surrounded by the high command of the Police, the Army, and the Judicial and Legislative powers to address the events that occurred in the morning. “We are not asking for anything in return, it is a matter of honor, dignity and patriotism… that they take away their mercenaries,” said the dictator in reference to political prisoners. Some of them are activists, businessmen, opposition candidates, journalists and members of Nicaraguan civil society. According to what the president recounted, the idea arose spontaneously from Rosario Murillo, his wife and vice president of the Central American country. According to Ortega, Murillo proposed that he request the United States Embassy to take the political prisoners out of the country by plane. “Rosario called the ambassador, she asked him about it. I did not expect a positive response. And I don’t know if they imagined that we were going to ask them to lift the sanctions, “said the Sandinista president who has governed Nicaragua for fifteen consecutive years. According to Ortega, he did not request that. In fact, he assured that he did not ask for any concessions from the US government, with whom he has maintained tense relations in the last four years. Related News standard No Nicaragua “deports” more than 200 political prisoners to the US and applies civil death to them Francisco Villalta standard Yes “We will continue to be Nicaraguans”: political prisoners arrive in the US David Alandete Ortega admitted that since This idea had been going through his head for a while. After winning the November 2021 elections, based on a repressive plan that included more imprisonment for critical voices in the country, he called opponents “sons of bitches of Yankee imperialism.” Later, throughout his speech, he emphasized that they were not Nicaraguan citizens, but “traitors to the homeland.” In his appearance, Ortega also referred to the case of Monsignor Rolando Alvarez, who is facing prison in a political trial. The priest was one of the most critical voices against the regime, which ended up making him a target. Alvarez refused to board the plane for unknown reasons. According to Ortega, the bishop asked to meet with his religious leaders to request their permission to leave the country. Ortega insinuated that he had lost his mind and called him a madman.