Nicaragua Judges Sanctioned by US Following Citizenship Removal of Political Dissidents

The United States has announced sanctions against Nicaragua judges who removed the citizenship of political dissidents and activists in the country.

The government of Nicaragua is currently facing allegations of stifling opposition. U.S. State Secretary Antony Blinken said in a press release that the judges' sanctions had helped facilitate "government repression," as reported by Al Jazeera.

Blinken was also referring to the removal of the citizenship of more than 300 Nicaraguans, who were then forced to flee their own country.

The state secretary said in a press release that the U.S. is taking more action to hold perpetrators accountable, including those involved in the Nicaraguan regime's "repressive actions."

Nicaragua is currently being led by Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo. The country's leadership has been criticized by the United Nations and other human rights groups for using the judiciary powers against its political opponents.

The Office of the High Commissioner, under the U.N., noted in a March press release that Nicaragua has committed "crimes against humanity for political reasons."

Nicaragua released 222 political prisoners in February and sent them into exile in the United States.

Nicaragua Judges Sanctioned

Starconnect Media reported that the Nicaraguan judges sanctionee were Judges Nadia Camila Tardencilla Rodriguez, Ernesto Leonel Rodriguez Mejia, and Ernesto Rothschuh Andino.

Blinken said the three judges in Nicaragua have direct responsibility for the citizenship removal of the political dissidents in the country.

Rodriguez announced the court's decision to remove 94 Nicaraguan citizens of their nationality and declared them traitors.

The individuals were critics of the Ortega regime. They were known journalists, human rights defenders, and clergy, as cited by the Treasury Department.

Meanwhile, Tardencilla released a judicial order on February 10 stripping Catholic Bishop Rolando Jose Alvarez Lagos of his Nicaraguan citizenship. He was also convicted of treason.

Other charges against Alvarez include undermining national integrity and authority, and aggravated obstruction.

Alvarez was also accused of peddling false news in the country.

Rothschuh is responsible for the deportation of 222 Nicaraguan citizens and declared them traitors to the nation on February 10.

Nicaragua's Citizenship Removal of Political Dissidents

In February, Nicaragua started removing the citizenship of 94 people in the country.

Rodriguez said on state TV that the 94 Nicaraguans were declared traitors, but did not say if the Nicaraguans were tried.

However, the Appeals Court Justice said that the political dissidents were not "fugitives of the law" and were sentenced to a civil death, which meant that they would lose their rights, their property, and their citizenship for life, as reported by NPR.

Among the 94 political dissidents, the poet Gioconda Belli and novelist Sergio Ramirez were included.

The most well-known human rights defender in Nicaragua, Vilma Núñez, was also among the people denationalized.

The additional 94 came after Nicaragua banished 222 political prisoners. The first 222 political prisoners were flown to the U.S. and had their citizenships removed.

Analysts claimed that it was the beginning of expanding authoritarianism in Nicaragua.

The U.N. noted that Nicaragua wields abuses, which include extrajudicial executions, arbitrary detentions, torture, and vague deprivation of nationality.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: How Daniel Ortega 'demolished' democracy in Nicaragua - from PBS NewsHour