[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 94 (Thursday, June 7, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H4852]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        U.S. MUST TAKE ACTION TO SUPPORT THE PEOPLE OF NICARAGUA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, yesterday I met with Victor Cuadras 
and Zayda Hernandez, two young Nicaraguan student leaders who bravely 
protest the abuses and violence of the Ortega regime.
  Knowing that they could face trumped-up charges upon their return to 
Nicaragua, Victor and Zayda feel a unique sense of responsibility to 
come here to Washington to advocate for justice and liberty for their 
homeland.
  They represent the voice of the Nicaraguan people, old and new 
generations, who desire nothing more than a free and democratic country 
where one can be prosperous and live without fear of repression. What a 
concept.
  And we must listen to their pleas, Mr. Speaker.
  Countless Nicaraguans are on the front lines, as you can see on this 
poster, confronting the brutality of the Ortega regime day after day.
  Over 120 Nicaraguans and one U.S. citizen have been killed at the 
hands of this murderous regime in just the past weeks. Over 1,000 
Nicaraguans have been injured, hundreds continue to disappear.
  Mr. Speaker, I was on the floor yesterday, and here I am again for 
the fourth time since the regime's crackdown on the Nicaraguan people 
began on April 18, because I believe that it is vital--now, more than 
ever--for the United States to support the people of Nicaragua in its 
fight to reestablish democratic order. We must let the people know that 
they are not alone.
  Earlier this week, I was joined by Republicans and Democrats, 
Representatives and Senators, in urging the administration to sanction 
two of Ortega's many thugs: Francisco Lopez, head of ALBANISA, for 
money laundering and corruption; and Francisco Diaz, who leads the 
National Police, for orchestrating the repression and the killings of 
Nicaraguans.
  But there are so many others who must be sanctioned, including 
Gustavo Porras, head of the National Assembly; Sonia Castro, Minister 
of Health; Roberto Lopez, president of the Social Security Institute; 
and Tirso Celedon, a real estate developer profiting from the Social 
Security Institute.
  Each of these individuals is part of Ortega's inner circle and is 
responsible for those acts of corruption and human rights violations, 
all of which have been widely reported.
  I urge the administration to not delay any longer and to take swift 
action to freeze assets, to cancel visas and to sanction to the full 
extent of our laws those who are responsible for so much corruption and 
so many murders in Nicaragua.
  We have a moral responsibility to lead the way and help bring to 
justice those responsible for the atrocities that they see happening in 
that country. We need to send a clear message that the United States is 
paying attention and that those terrible acts will not go unpunished.
  Mr. Speaker, this Chamber has known for a while about how troublesome 
the Ortega regime is, to say the least, and we have been able to lead 
on this issue, and I thank my colleagues for that.
  In October 2017, this House passed my NICA Act, which seeks to 
leverage America's influence by conditioning our vote at any of the 
international financial institutions until Nicaragua takes significant 
steps to uphold the rule of law and strengthen democratic institutions.
  Unfortunately, our colleagues in the Senate have been silent--silent. 
I urge them to quit stalling and to take meaningful action by finally 
passing the NICA Act so that we can keep the pressure on that awful 
regime until democracy, freedom, and prosperity return to beautiful 
Nicaragua and these young people will be free once again.

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