The measures come as a reaction to the elections of November 7, in which Ortega achieved a fourth consecutive term in a disputed voting day that included the arrest, since May, of almost 40 politicians, activists, businessmen and journalists, in addition to seven rival candidates of the president.
According to the statement signed by Biden, they will not be able to enter the U.S., as immigrants or non-immigrants, all members of the government of Nicaragua, including elected officials, mayors, deputy mayors, and political secretaries (of the Sandinista party) who participated in “serious human rights abuses or violations.”
The measure also applies to officials of the security services, the military, members of the National Police and the prison system.
Nor may high-level officials of the Judiciary, the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Ministry of the Interior enter the United States; as well as members of ministries, regulatory agencies and parastatals.
Resource Locking
Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Brian Nichols told Congress on Tuesday that he is it is necessary to withdraw external financing from the Ortega government, under the framework of the Rebirth Act signed by Biden last week.
“As part of the Rebirth Act, we should look for ways to prevent Nicaragua from obtaining resources from international financial institutions, funds that would inevitably go to its corrupt government,” Nichols said.
Ortega renewed his mandate for the fourth consecutive time
The Law Reborn facilitates the imposition of sanctions on the Ortega government to restrict bank lending and “attack the regime’s corruption.” With it, the White House has a wide range of possible measures: from new financial sanctions on Nicaraguan officials, to trade punishments that would further sink the Central American country’s economy.
