Current:Home > Contact-usThe Organization of American States warns Nicaragua it will keep watching even as the country exits-InfoLens
The Organization of American States warns Nicaragua it will keep watching even as the country exits
View Date:2024-12-23 17:10:16
MEXICO CITY (AP) — The Organization of American States said Wednesday that it will continue closely monitoring Nicaragua’s democracy and human rights record even after the country’s imminent exit from the regional body later this month.
OAS members made clear that Nicaragua President Daniel Ortega’s withdrawal from the organization his country has belonged to since 1950 would not mean losing a persistent critic of his administration.
The OAS “will continue paying special attention to the situation in Nicaragua” and will try to promote respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms there, according to a resolution approved by members of the permanent council.
“This is a clear message that we want to send to the Nicaraguan people, so that they know they are not alone,” said council President Ronald Sanders, the representative for Antigua and Barbuda, adding, “We are not going to abandon them.”
Arturo McFields, Nicaragua’s representative at the OAS until he publicly denounced Ortega and his wife Vice President Rosario Murillo in 2022, said Nicaragua’s withdrawal would be “a heavy blow to the fight for democracy and defense of human rights.” But he was encouraged by the OAS resolution.
Ortega’s administration has sought to suppress critical voices since popular street protests in April 2018 turned into a referendum on his government. After the protests were violently put down, with some 355 people killed and hundreds imprisoned, the government set about silencing institutions he perceived as supporting the protesters.
Targets have included private universities, the Roman Catholic Church, civil society organizations and tens of thousands of individuals driven into exile.
Ortega’s government started the two-year process to leave the OAS in November 2021, shortly after the body joined others in the international community in condemning the elections, widely criticized as flawed, that led to Ortega’s latest term.
The last country to leave the OAS was Venezuela in 2019.
Brazil expressed hope that Nicaragua would return soon, and its representative Benoni Belli argued against taking punitive measures against the country “which are not necessarily successful.”
Washington Abdalá, Uruguay’s representative at the OAS, gave Nicaragua’s president a warning about the departure: “No, Mr. Ortega, it’s not going to be so easy, it can’t be so simple. This is not an ideological issue, of left or right, it is an essential issue of the lives of Nicaraguans who are having a really hard time of it under that dictatorship.”
veryGood! (14)
Related
- Cavaliers' Darius Garland rediscovers joy for basketball under new coach
- 5 wounded in shooting at Virginia restaurant
- Should you sell your own home? Why a FSBO may look more tempting
- Ranked voting tabulation in pivotal Maine congressional race to begin Tuesday
- Catholic bishops urged to boldly share church teachings — even unpopular ones
- 'Just a shock': NC State student arrested after string of 12 shootings damaging homes and vehicles
- Cynthia Erivo Proves She Can Defy Gravity at the Wicked Premiere
- Hockey Hall of Fame inductions: Who's going in, how to watch
- Voyager 2 is the only craft to visit Uranus. Its findings may have misled us for 40 years.
- FBI, Justice Department investigating racist mass texts sent following the election
Ranking
- Women suing over Idaho’s abortion ban describe dangerous pregnancies, becoming ‘medical refugees’
- Where is 'College GameDay' for Week 11? Location, what to know for ESPN show
- Hockey Hall of Fame inductions: Who's going in, how to watch
- Monkeys that escaped a lab have been subjects of human research since the 1800s
- Donna Kelce Includes Sweet Nod to Taylor Swift During Today Appearance With Craig Melvin
- Ariana Grande's Parents Joan Grande and Edward Butera Support Her at Wicked Premiere
- Bhad Bhabie's Mom Claps Back on Disgusting Claim She's Faking Cancer
- See Michelle Yeoh Debut Blonde Bob at the Wicked's L.A. Premiere
Recommendation
-
Prayers and cheeseburgers? Chiefs have unlikely fuel for inexplicable run
-
Who is racing for 2024 NASCAR Cup Series championship? Final four drivers, odds, stats
-
James Van Der Beek 'went into shock' over stage 3 colorectal cancer diagnosis
-
Jason Kelce Reacts After Getting in Trouble With Kylie Kelce Over NSFW Sex Comment
-
Man Found Dead in Tanning Bed at Planet Fitness Gym After 3 Days
-
Army says the US will restart domestic TNT production at plant to be built in Kentucky
-
Republican Don Bacon wins fifth term to US House representing Nebraska’s Omaha-based district
-
How many points did Bronny James score tonight in G League debut?