US Sanctions Nicaragua’s Attorney General for Being an Accomplice of Dictator Daniel Ortega

This Thursday, the United States imposed economic sanctions on Nicaragua’s attorney general, Wendy Morales, whom it accuses of being “complicit” in the repression by the Central American country’s dictator. Daniel Ortegaand his wife, the Vice President, Rosario Murillo.

The Treasury Department blocked Morales’ accounts and assets in the United States and prohibited transactions with him because “A key actor in the unjust persecution of political prisoners and civil society by the Nicaraguan regime“

Morales was already involved in the call last year Angel Listwith which the State Department targets corrupt actors in Central America, prohibiting them from entering US territory.

“The Attorney General of Nicaragua, in coordination with the Ortega and Murillo regimes, has used his position to facilitate a campaign of repression against dissent by confiscating the properties of political opponents of the government without legal basis.l,” Treasury Undersecretary Brian Nelson condemned in a statement.

According to the Joe Biden administration, prosecutors have proven to be loyal to Ortega and have “great power” to determine who receives assets and real estate seized from political prisoners, international organizations and the media.

in fact, Morales may have participated in the disposal of the properties of 222 political prisoners who were released last year. and were deported to the United States.

“He was key in devising a strategy to designate members of the Nicaraguan opposition as terrorists and block their financial resources using existing anti-terrorism laws,” the Treasury noted.

The US also believes that the appointment of Morales as Attorney General in 2019 was illegal because he failed to comply with the requirement to practice law during the ten years prior to the appointment.

On the other hand there are demands that rule Ortega conducted against Germany And Israel in International Court of Justice (ICJ) could open the door to charges against him for “genocide” in the Gaza Strip Crimes against humanity Recommended by the United Nations Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua (GHREN).

On March 5, GHREN presented its second report and called on third countries to take steps to establish criminal liability against Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo.and other senior state officials who are part of the chain of command who may have committed crimes against humanity in Nicaragua as a result of the repression following the 2018 civil protests.

On 23 January, the Nicaraguan regime submitted a request to the International Court of Justice to join a case filed by South Africa against Israel for “genocide”; And this March 1, Daniel Ortega’s government also sued Germany for violating the “Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.”

For Nicaraguan jurist Uriel Pineda, a human rights expert based in Mexico, Ortega’s demands against Germany and Israel do not surprise him “because I think this is the way in which the regime moves itself.” Possible legal action against you“

(with information from EFE)