US secures release of 135 ‘political prisoners’ in Nicaragua

The United States announced on Thursday that it had secured the release of 135 political prisoners from Nicaragua, marking the latest mass transfer by President Daniel Ortega’s increasingly authoritarian government.

The White House stated that the prisoners included members of faith organisations, students, and others deemed by Ortega and his team as a “threat to their authoritarian rule.”

The former prisoners have been sent to neighbouring Guatemala, where reformist President Bernardo Arevalo has worked closely with Washington on key migration issues.

They will have the opportunity to seek relocation to the United States, according to the White House.

“No one should be imprisoned for peacefully exercising their fundamental rights of free expression, association, and practising their religion,” National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said in a statement.

“The United States again calls on the government of Nicaragua to immediately cease the arbitrary arrest and detention of its citizens for merely exercising their fundamental freedoms,” he added.

This latest action follows the mass release of more than 200 prisoners in February 2023, who were flown to the United States.

The former prisoners have largely welcomed their release, although some human rights activists view Ortega’s actions with suspicion, interpreting them as attempts to remove perceived opponents while trying to gain favour with Washington.

The latest release includes 13 members of Mountain Gateway, an evangelical Christian group based in Texas.

Earlier this year, Nicaraguan authorities accused members of the group, which conducts mass gospel campaigns and humanitarian work, of money laundering and organised crime.

Mountain Gateway strongly denied the charges, asserting that Nicaraguan authorities had access to review its budgeting.

Ortega, a 78-year-old former leftist guerrilla who fought US-backed forces in the 1980s, returned to power in 2007 and was initially seen as more moderate.

However, he has since abolished presidential term limits, seized control of all branches of government, and led a sweeping crackdown on groups, including the Catholic Church and NGOs, that are perceived as threats to his rule.

AFP