U.S. sanctions nine Nicaraguan officials, government ministry

WASHINGTON, Nov. 15 (Reuters) – The Biden administration on Monday imposed sanctions on nine Nicaraguan officials and a government department responsible for the arrests of opposition politicians in response to an election that Washington has labeled bogus.

The sanctions, which were also targeted by Nicaragua’s energy minister and vice-finance minister, followed the re-election of President Daniel Ortega for a fourth consecutive term on November 7, after imprisoning political rivals and cracking down on critical media.

US President Joe Biden had accused Ortega, a former Marxist guerrilla leader, of organizing a “pantomime” election, and the result was condemned internationally.

“The United States is sending a clear message to President Ortega, Vice-President Murillo and their immediate circle that we stand with the Nicaraguan people in their calls for reform and a return to democracy,” said Andrea Gacki, director of the US Treasury Department for Foreign Affairs Assets Control, it says in a statement.

A senior State Department official previously said, on condition of anonymity, that the recent sanctions announcement was the first in a series of steps that the US government will step up “over time.” Continue reading

Previous sanctions from Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump didn’t deter Ortega, and many analysts are skeptical of whether new measures will have a major impact.

Ortega has ridiculed his US critics as “Yankee imperialists” and accused them of undermining the electoral process in Nicaragua. Cuba, Venezuela and Russia have offered their support to Ortega.

The Organization of American States (OAS) passed a resolution on Friday saying that the elections in Nicaragua “lacked democratic legitimacy”. 25 nations voted in favor and seven abstained, including Mexico, Honduras and Bolivia.

The sanctions “target those who oppress Nicaraguans for exercising their human rights and fundamental freedoms,” the Treasury Department said.

Those sanctioned included Salvador Mansell Castrillo, Minister for Energy and Mines; Jose Adrian Chavarria Montenegro, Vice Minister for Finance and Public Lending; Mohamed Farrara Lashtar, a Nicaraguan ambassador to Middle Eastern countries; and several mayors and energy officials.

The Ministry of State of Nicaragua, the Federal Prosecutor’s Office, was charged with “unjustified arrest and”

Presidential candidates investigated and prevented from running for office, undermining democracy in Nicaragua, “the Treasury Department said.

Financial sanctions require a freeze on the US assets of any individual or legal entity and prohibit Americans from doing business with them.

Reporting by Matt Spetalnick Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Marguerita Choy

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https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/us-sanctions-nine-nicaraguan-officials-government-ministry-2021-11-15/