The release of 222 political prisoners in Nicaragua those who the government of Daniel Ortega withdrew their citizenship and handed over to the United States after displacing them by plane to Washington has generated numerous reactions at the regional level.
Influential figures in Latin America, such as the former president of Costa Rica Laura Chinchilla, spoke out upon learning of the operation.
“The release of more than 200 prisoners of conscience from Nicaraguan prisons is news that I celebrate in the name of their dignity and the tranquility of their families. But let’s not forget that the fight continues for the restitution of democracy and freedom in that country,” Chinchilla said on social media.
Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo López, in exile from Spain, also took a stand on Twitter, calling the release “a drill” by forcing ex-convicts into exile.
López considered it as a “same script of the dictatorships of Cuba, Venezuela and now Nicaragua”, while celebrating the reunion of the 222 Nicaraguan families of the ex-prisoners.
“Freedom, not only for political prisoners and exiles, but for the entire Nicaraguan people will come when the dictatorship ends and that is why we must continue fighting. The only objective as democrats is to achieve the freedom of all the countries that suffer under the yoke of a tyrant, ”added Leopoldo López, who on his day was imprisoned in Venezuela.
Human rights voices
From Human Rights Watch (HRW) for the Americas, in Washington, the interim director, Tamara Taraciuk described the day as a celebration for the release of the 222 political prisoners and explained that these are witnesses who “suffered the cruelty of the dictatorship. They should never have been in prison, ”she said.
The Washington Office for Latin American Affairs (WOLA) also expressed satisfaction with the news, and reiterated that those 222 released will need a lot of support to get their lives back on track.
“Without forgetting all the humanitarian, political, legal, psychological, and social support that they and their relatives deserve and need in the short, medium, and long term,” the organization said, while making wishes that the fight for justice and human rights in Nicaragua, keep standing.
official positions
The United States government reported early this Thursday that the Nicaraguan government had “unilaterally” decided to release 222 prisoners and that “some of these people have spent years in prison, many of them for exercising their fundamental freedoms, in appalling conditions.” and without access to due process,” said a Biden administration official.
For its part, the government of Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua said that it had ordered the “immediate deportation of 222 people sentenced for committing acts that undermine the independence, sovereignty, and self-determination of the people for inciting violence, terrorism, and economic destabilization.” , as expressed this Thursday by Rothschuh Andino, president of Chamber 1 of the Court of Appeals of Managua.
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Source: VOA Español
