The United States has imposed an entry ban on Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, his vice-president wife.
photo for representation
The United States on Tuesday banned entry after elections on Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, his vice presidential wife and their government, which were dismissed as internationally illegitimate.
Ahead of the November 7 vote, Nicaraguan officials detained around 40 opposition figures, including seven presidential contenders who had assured victory for longtime ruler Ortega and his wife, Rosario Murillo.
“The repressive and outrageous actions of the Ortega government and those who support it compel the United States to act,” President Joe Biden said in a proclamation.
“The undemocratic, authoritarian actions of the Ortega government have crippled the electoral process and taken away the right of Nicaraguan citizens to choose their leaders in free and fair elections.”
On Monday, the United States announced separate financial sanctions against Nicaraguan officials, calling the recent election a “sham”.
Britain and Canada also announced new sanctions against major Nicaragua.
Biden accused Ortega of overseeing corrupt courts, police and security services, saying “the physical and psychological abuse of political prisoners at the hands of police and prison officials is intolerable and cannot be tolerated.”
A firebrand Marxist in his youth, Ortega ruled Nicaragua from 1979 to 1990, after leading a guerrilla army that ousted US-backed dictator Anastasio Somoza.
Returning to power in 2007, he won re-election four times, rapidly becoming a dictatorship and abolishing the presidency.
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