Nicaragua Avoiding Accountability by Leaving OAS, Says US State Department

Nicaragua has now officially left the Organization of American States. Shortly after, the US State Department blasted the conjugal dictatorship of President Daniel Ortega and his wife and Vice President Rosario Murillo, accusing them of avoiding accountability by leaving the organization.

"Today, Nicaragua's withdrawal from the Organization of American States (OAS) Charter took effect. Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo's decision to further isolate Nicaragua from the international community demonstrates their desperation to avoid any effort by the OAS or like-minded partners to hold them accountable for egregious human rights abuses," wrote the US State Department on its official website.

The State Department also listed several human rights abuses being done under the Daniel Ortega regime, including "unjustly detaining, convicting, and mistreating political prisoners - including Bishop Rolando Alvarez; attacking independent journalists; and forcing hundreds of civil society organizations and educational institutions to close or hand over operations to the state."

This is a clear reference to Ortega's history of repressing his own people, jailing those running against him during the previous presidential election, kicking out various media outlets and religious institutions, as well as feuding with the Roman Catholic Church.

The US government continued blasting Ortega and his regime, adding, "Nicaragua's actions are an affront to the Western Hemisphere's commitment to democracy. Despite Ortega and Murillo's denunciation of the OAS Charter, Nicaragua remains bound by its human rights and governance obligations under remaining treaties and instruments, including the American Convention on Human Rights."

The State Department then vowed that the US government will continue "working with our partners in the OAS, continues to review all available and appropriate tools to hold Ortega, Murillo, and their surrogates accountable for their actions."

OAS Will Continue Monitoring Nicaragua's Human Rights Abuses Despite Leaving Organization

Days before Nicaragua officially left the OAS, the organization adopted a resolution to keep monitoring what was happening under Daniel Ortega's authoritarian rule despite the country already leaving.

The OAS vowed that they " will continue paying special attention to the situation in Nicaragua" and, according to the Associated Press, will try to promote the "respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms" in the Central American country.

Nicaragua had slowly been trying to leave the OAS, a group to which the country had belonged since 1950, and has not left it even after the Sandinista Revolution that first placed Ortega in power.

Nicaragua's Feud With the Roman Catholic Church

One of the groups that the government of Nicaragua has been feuding with from within is the Roman Catholic Church, with the country expelling missionaries and foreign clergymen while also jailing local priests critical of the government.

This was further escalated when Daniel Ortega's top critic, Matagpala Bishop Rolando Alvarez, was arrested. This prompted Pope Francis to call for an "open and sincere" dialogue between the Vatican and Nicaragua, which eventually resulted in Bishop Alvarez's release. For now, many Nicaraguan priests are serving in exile in Rome or the United States.

READ MORE: Nicaragua Helping Fuel Migrant Crisis by 'Weaponizing' Haitian Migrants as Leverage Against US

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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