[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 125 (Wednesday, July 25, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H7194-H7197]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CONDEMNING THE VIOLENCE, PERSECUTION, INTIMIDATION, AND MURDERS
COMMITTED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF NICARAGUA AGAINST ITS CITIZENS
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
agree to the resolution (H. Res. 981) condemning the violence,
persecution, intimidation, and murders committed by the Government of
Nicaragua against its citizens, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
The text of the resolution is as follows
H. Res. 981
Whereas Daniel Ortega has taken systematic steps to weaken
democratic institutions in Nicaragua since 2006, including by
manipulating the Nicaraguan Constitution through actions such
as eliminating presidential term limits;
Whereas Daniel Ortega selected his wife, Rosario Murillo,
as his vice-presidential candidate in 2016;
Whereas domestic and international observers have
repeatedly documented and criticized irregularities in the
2011 and 2016 presidential elections as well as the 2012 and
2017 municipal elections in Nicaragua;
Whereas, on April 18, 2018, students in Nicaragua began to
protest the unilateral decision of the Government of
Nicaragua to impose reforms on the Nicaraguan Social Security
Institute;
Whereas the protests were met with a violent and brutal
response from the Nicaraguan National Police, subsequently
resulting in a widespread call by the Nicaraguan
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people for freedom, democracy, electoral reforms, and respect
for human rights;
Whereas since April 18, 2018, the Nicaraguan government,
the Nicaraguan National Police, or militias controlled by the
Nicaraguan government have been responsible for escalating
violence, committing murders, and many cases of torture and
disappearances;
Whereas to block the dissemination of reports of violence
and repression committed against peaceful protesters, the
Nicaraguan government shut down the signal of media stations
throughout Nicaragua;
Whereas according to press reports, the Nicaraguan
government has denied basic medical care to and attempted to
poison the food and water of those protesting oppression
under the Ortega administration;
Whereas, on the night of April 20, 2018, a pro-government
mob set fire to the offices of independent radio station
Radio Dario in the city of Leon;
Whereas, on April 20, 2018, Ambassador Michael Kozak, the
Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of
Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor of the Department of
State, said, ``Nicaragua is going in the wrong direction on
many fronts and that is one of them, of media freedom. But
also on all the basics, I mean, it's a long litany of
torture, extrajudicial killing, the elections were a sham . .
. the Ortega government has basically shut down a lot of the
opposition, a lot of the independent civil society
organizations as well as the free media'';
Whereas, on April 21, 2018, Nicaraguan journalist Angel
Gahona was shot and killed by pro-government security forces
while broadcasting live on Facebook;
Whereas, on April 21, 2018, the Department of State issued
a travel advisory for Nicaragua and since then has continued
to advise travelers to reconsider travel to Nicaragua due to
ongoing violence;
Whereas, on April 22, 2018, the Department of State issued
a statement that ``we condemn the violence and the excessive
force used by police and others against civilians who are
exercising their constitutional right to freedom of
expression and assembly'';
Whereas, on April 23, 2018, the Department of State ordered
the departure of family members accompanying United States
Government personnel in Nicaragua and also authorized the
departure of such personnel;
Whereas, on Mother's Day in Nicaragua, May 31, 2018, press
reports stated that peaceful marches to support the mothers
of the victims of the earlier protests encountered violence
from ``the repressive police and shock forces'', leaving 15
dead and nearly 200 injured in the cities of Managua, Esteli
and Masaya;
Whereas, on May 31, 2018, the Department of State issued a
statement saying that ``those individuals responsible for
human rights violations will be held accountable by the
international community in international fora'' in response
to the violence during the Mother's Day protests;
Whereas, on June 4, 2018, Secretary Pompeo, participating
in the Organization of American States General Assembly in
the District of Columbia, stated, ``In Nicaragua police and
government-controlled armed groups have killed dozens, merely
for peacefully protesting'';
Whereas, on June 7, 2018, the Department of State announced
visa restrictions against individuals involved in human
rights abuses or undermining democracy in Nicaragua;
Whereas, on June 20, 2018, the Department of State
announced, ``The United States condemns the ongoing
government-sponsored violence and intimidation campaign in
Nicaragua, including the June 16 arson attack against the
home and business of a family in Managua, killing six, and
the further intimidation of the family during the wake'';
Whereas a report from the Asociacion Nicaraguense Pro
Derechos Humanos (Nicaraguan Association for Human Rights)
states that as of June 25, 2018, at least 285 people have
been killed, over 1,500 people have been injured, and 156
people continue to be disappeared;
Whereas the Catholic Church has played an important role
serving as a mediator between protesters and the Government
of Nicaragua, and Catholic bishops and priests have risked
their lives trying to prevent more massacres; and
Whereas the United States House of Representatives has
sought to reestablish democracy and the rule of law in
Nicaragua by passing H.R. 1918, the Nicaraguan Investment
Conditionality Act, on October 3, 2017, by unanimous consent:
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) condemns the violence, persecution, intimidation, and
murders of peaceful protesters by the Government of
Nicaragua;
(2) supports the people of Nicaragua in their pursuit for
democracy, including their call for free and fair elections
overseen by credible domestic and international observers;
(3) urges the international community to stand in
solidarity with the people of Nicaragua;
(4) calls on the United States to continue to condemn the
atrocities in Nicaragua, demand the release of individuals
wrongfully detained, and identify those individuals whose
involvement in this violence qualifies for the imposition of
sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights
Accountability Act (subtitle F of title XII of the National
Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016; 22 U.S.C.
2656 note); and
(5) affirms that--
(A) the rights to freedom of assembly, association, and
expression, the freedom of the press, and freedom from
extrajudicial detention and violence, are universal human
rights that apply to all persons; and
(B) countries that fail to respect these rights jeopardize
the security and prosperity of all of their citizens.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
California (Mr. Royce) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Sires)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.
General Leave
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that
all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks
and to include extraneous material in the Record.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from California?
There was no objection.
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I would really like to begin by thanking our Foreign
Affairs chairman emeritus, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, and I do also want to
thank my other colleagues on the committee. I also thank Albio Sires
for his work on this measure, along with Colonel Cook. I think it is
very timely. It is very important.
I think, for those whose families have experienced what it is like
under a totalitarian system, there is a special identification with
what the victims are going through right now as a result of the
authoritarian bent, right now, of President Daniel Ortega, the same
Daniel Ortega we remember from 1979. But he lost an election, I think
it was, in 1990. He has had five terms.
But in consolidating his power, he has moved to an authoritarian
approach in tightening that grip where he has now resorted to using
brutal force against the students on their campuses if they protest;
brutal force against the people who seek refuge in the churches,
shooting up the churches, something that Congressman Juan Vargas was
talking to me about the other day; brutal force in the villages against
those who protest, creating a situation with hundreds and hundreds of
deaths and thousands of injuries.
I can just tell you personally, I have a constituent and friend in
the district, and she is from one of those villages. She saw me and
gave me a little letter the other day about the fate of some of her
neighbors who died at the hands of one of these attacks in the
villages. They were murdered there on the streets of her small village.
I think the reason that this resolution represents such a broad,
bipartisan consensus in this condemnation of Ortega's regime is because
of the nature of that violence. What this resolution does is support
the people of Nicaragua in their pursuit of freedom.
Nicaraguans, understandably, want self-determination. They want an
end to corruption. They are asking for free and fair elections. The
international community--in particular, the Organization of American
States regional leaders--must continue to stand with these brave
students and church leaders and villagers who are being targeted and
being assassinated by thugs working on behalf of and at the behest of
Daniel Ortega.
When we think about this circumstance and other authoritarian
leaders, one of the allies of Daniel Ortega is Nicolas Maduro. He uses
these same tactics against the Venezuelan people, and the people
deserve better than this.
This resolution shows this body's commitment to standing shoulder to
shoulder with those without a voice, seeking freedom from those
authoritarians who are becoming dictators.
The administration was correct earlier this month in sanctioning
three senior Nicaraguan officials for human rights abuses and
corruption under the U.S. Global Magnitsky Act, a measure that we
passed out of our committee, and that is something that this resolution
affirms. But more can still be done.
This resolution encourages the administration to continue to pressure
Ortega to stop the violence and to move forward with free and fair
elections.
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Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this measure, and I
reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SIRES. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this measure.
In response to Ortega's brutal crackdown on peaceful protests and
human rights violations, I urge my colleagues to support H. Res. 981,
condemning the violence, persecution, and intimidation committed by the
Government of Nicaragua against its citizens.
As we know, the Nicaraguan people are suffering as the Ortega
government continues to punish citizens for pursuing greater democratic
rights. Since Ortega came into power, he has worked hard to consolidate
power in the hands of his family and party loyalists at the expense of
Nicaraguan citizens.
The peaceful protests that began in April initially opposed the
proposed government reform to social security. However, as Ortega
ordered violent crackdowns by government security forces, the
demonstrations gradually became a call for a more democratic Nicaragua.
The Catholic Church has attempted numerous times to mediate dialogue
between Ortega and opposition groups, but the Ortega regime has
repeatedly failed to uphold its end of the agreement. We are seeing new
reports every week on how Ortega's paramilitary forces are opening fire
against sanctuaries and shooting and injuring people seeking refuge in
churches across the country. It is shameful. As negotiations over
dialogue have devolved, hundreds of Nicaraguan citizens are estimated
to have been killed, with thousands more injured.
Recently, international observers from the Inter-American Commission
on Human Rights, the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, and the
European Union have arrived in Nicaragua to begin investigating the
violence. Now, many Nicaraguans are demanding political reform and the
resignation of Ortega and his wife before the scheduled elections in
2021.
Mr. Speaker, the United States cannot stand idly by and ignore the
demands of the Nicaraguan people while the Ortegas and his confidants
push the country towards authoritarianism. That is why my colleagues,
Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen, Ranking Member Engel, Chairman Cook, and I
have introduced this bipartisan resolution condemning the ongoing
violence in Nicaragua. We are urging the administration to impose
sanctions on individuals who qualify under the Global Magnitsky Human
Rights Accountability Act.
I have also worked with my friend Ileana Ros-Lehtinen to pass the
Nicaragua Investment Conditionality Act, to hold the regime accountable
for its misuse of international loans. This bill would direct the U.S.
to not support international loans to Nicaragua until the government
increases transparency and has free and fair elections.
Unified pushback from the international community shows the
courageous Nicaraguans on the ground that the world stands shoulder to
shoulder with them. It is the only way for Ortega to see the writing on
the wall. He has to give up his grip and enact long overdue and
meaningful political reform that people are yearning for.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Chairman Royce and Ranking Member
Engel for their continued bipartisanship on these important issues. I
urge my colleagues to support the resolution, and I reserve the balance
of my time.
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen), the chairman emeritus of
the Foreign Affairs Committee and the author of this resolution.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Chairman Royce for his
amazing leadership and also Ranking Member Engel. They brought this
important and timely resolution to the floor, and I am so grateful to
have worked not only with Chairman Royce and Ranking Member Engel, but
also with Chairman Cook and Ranking Member Sires of the Western
Hemisphere Subcommittee.
All of us introduced H. Res. 981, and this resolution, as Mr. Sires
and Mr. Royce have pointed out, condemns the persecution; it condemns
the intimidation, the violence, and the murders that are being
committed by the Government of Nicaragua against its citizens under the
orders of Daniel Ortega.
Mr. Speaker, 450, that is how many Nicaraguans have been killed by
Ortega's regime and its thugs just since April of this year. Heaven
knows how many today or how many just these past days. The death toll
is rising every day. And as the regime has now authorized a shoot-to-
kill policy in cities like Masaya and Jinotega, shoot to kill against
dissidents, against protesters, and add that to the thousands who have
been injured, arrested, and forced disappearances, we are talking about
a massive and severe repression by a regime that will do anything to
stay in power. That is what this is all about. Ortega and his wife want
to stay in power at all costs.
On Monday, Daniel Ortega had the nerve, the audacity, to go on our
news channel, FOX News, American TV, to say that everything was under
control in Nicaragua and that it was, in fact, the Nicaraguan people
who were committing the acts of violence, that the Nicaraguan people
are the ones responsible for the bloodshed. It is a desperate attempt
by a desperate but dangerous fool.
Mr. Speaker, it is a dire situation, and it is getting worse by the
day. That is why we need to hold Ortega accountable for his evil and
violent acts and put additional pressure on his regime.
The administration has shown great leadership in condemning Ortega
and in sanctioning some of his regime's top officials under the Global
Magnitsky Act.
{time} 1330
My resolution urges the administration to do more, to target more of
Ortega's goons for sanctions, and to urge this very body to do more,
because time is of the essence.
The measure before us is simple and straightforward. It rightfully
identifies Ortega, not the Nicaraguan people, as the orchestrator of
the violence. It urges the administration to take more action against
the regime. It also demonstrates our unwavering support for the people
of Nicaragua in their support for democracy and their pursuit of
justice. It includes the call for early, free, fair, and transparent
elections overseen by domestic and international observers.
This resolution also calls upon responsible nations to stand in
solidarity with the people of Nicaragua, because their silence has been
deafening.
Today, this body is standing up for some of the most cherished values
and ideals that we hold true to our hearts, and we are unequivocally
rejecting the Ortega regime's abuses and its corruption. Today, we can
send a strong, unified, and clear message that we are watching; we are
acting; and we are supporting the aspirations of all freedom-loving
Nicaraguans.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentlewoman from
Florida an additional 1 minute.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, in my congressional district, I am so
blessed to have so many Nicaraguan Americans. In fact, one of them is
right here behind me, Gaby Boffelli, who is very proud of her
Nicaraguan heritage, and she keeps me abreast of what is happening in
Nicaragua every day.
My constituents tell me they are heartbroken about the situation.
They are heartbroken because people don't seem to be paying attention.
But they know that the United States Congress is standing with them.
Today, with this vote, we will stand ever so strongly with them.
Ortega is receiving help, as the chairman pointed out, from
Venezuela's Maduro, from Castro in Cuba, and from Diaz-Canel in Cuba.
These thugs know how to repress and kill dissidents.
Let's do the right thing. Let's not stand with the oppressors. Let's
stand with the people of Nicaragua.
Mr. SIRES. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume for
the purpose of closing.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this measure.
In response to Ortega's brutal crackdown on peaceful protests and
human rights violations, H. Res. 981 condemns the violence,
persecution, and intimidation committed by the Government of Nicaragua
against its citizens.
The Nicaragua National Police, or militias, controlled by the
Nicaraguan
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Government have murdered, detained, and tortured innocent people
peacefully standing up for their rights. Stories of Nicaraguan
protesters being electrocuted and waterboarded by gangs aligned with
the Ortega regime continue to horrify the international community.
While the Ortegas may condemn foreign interference in their affairs,
let us be clear: The United States condemns the violence, the
persecution, the intimidation, and the murders of peaceful protesters
by the Ortega security forces and his henchmen.
We support the people of Nicaragua in their pursuit for democracy,
including their call for free and fair elections overseen by credible
domestic and international observers, and we demand that Nicaragua
release those individuals wrongfully detained by the government.
Again, I want to thank the chairman and ranking member of the Foreign
Affairs Committee, Ed Royce and Eliot Engel. I want to take this
opportunity to thank Ed Royce for his last 3 years of bipartisan work.
I want to tell the gentleman that I really appreciate being on his
committee and serving with him on this committee. I thank the gentleman
for his service.
I also want to thank both my good friend Eliot Engel as well, who is
my counterpart on the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, and Chairman
Paul Cook for their strong bipartisan leadership.
I also want to thank my good friend from Florida, Ileana Ros-
Lehtinen, whom I have worked with and admired for many, many years, for
her decades of unwavering dedication to promoting democracy and human
rights around the world.
Mr. Speaker, I support this bill, and I urge all Members to do the
same.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I shared with this body the letter from my constituent
and neighbor outlining what had happened to her village where she had
grown up and how she had lost friends at the hands of a gang allied
with Daniel Ortega quite recently who attacked the village. So I want
to thank Albio Sires, Chairman Emeritus Ros-Lehtinen, and others who
worked on this resolution for bringing this bipartisan measure forward.
I want to thank them for their continued leadership. Because of the
continued attacks on demonstrators in Nicaragua, the shooting up of
churches, and the threatening of priests there, hundreds of protesters
have been murdered, and thousands more have been injured. This is
unacceptable.
Mr. Speaker, in closing, it is imperative that this body, and our
friends and allies across the region, continue to call on Daniel Ortega
to end the violence and to allow free and fair elections in Nicaragua.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this measure, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.
Res. 981, and to condemn the Ortega regime's escalating, brutal
campaign against its own people.
Ortega has now been in charge of Nicaragua for 22 of the last 39
years. After years of consolidating power by installing his wife as
vice president, and gradually chipping away at the power of the
judiciary and congress, Ortega has now dropped all pretense of being
anything other than an authoritarian leader.
More than 300 people have now died in Nicaragua for having the
courage to speak out against his and his wife's dictatorial rule.
Ortega has now shown himself willing to target members of the clergy
for fulfilling their sacred duty to recognize the value of human life,
and for putting themselves in harm's way to try to protect their
people.
This should be unacceptable to the U.S. and to the international
community. I commend my colleague Rep. Ros-Lehtinen for taking a stand,
and I encourage the executive branch to use all non-military means
available to hold Ortega accountable for these deaths and to stop the
carnage in Nicaragua.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from California (Mr. Royce) that the House suspend the rules
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 981, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the resolution, as amended, was agreed to.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________