[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 187 (Monday, October 25, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7336-S7337]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               NICARAGUA

  Mr. LEAHY. Madam President, it has now been more than 4 months since 
Daniel Ortega's police arrested and subsequently disappeared political 
opposition leaders Felix Maradiaga and Juan Sebastian Chamorro in 
Nicaragua. On June 8, police stopped Maradiaga's vehicle, forcibly 
removed him, and took him away. Later that day, over 40 police officers 
forced their way into Chamorro's home and arrested him as well. For 
nearly 3 months, they were held in undisclosed locations, without 
access to their lawyers, doctors, or families and without being charged 
with any crime. They were reportedly kept in solitary confinement, 
subjected to frequent interrogations, deprived of sleep, and they have 
each lost 20 to 25 pounds.
  In August, they were indicted for operating an international 
conspiracy to funnel foreign resources ``to provide logistical support 
and create favorable conditions to harm the supreme interests of the 
nation.'' These charges, which are blatantly political, were brought 
before an unnamed judge in a secret hearing in which their lawyers were 
not permitted to be present. This is what is called ``justice'' in 
Nicaragua today. Nothing more than a sham process intended to silence 
Daniel Ortega's political opposition, and it is yet another example of 
the flagrant repression and abuses of human rights that have become a 
trademark of his government.
  This summer alone, more than 30 other opposition leaders were 
subjected to similar abuses, and the government is reportedly currently 
unlawfully detaining more than 150 political prisoners, including 
former Ambassador to the United States Arturo Cruz who is known to many 
of us. He was kept in solitary confinement for approximately 80 days, 
has reportedly lost 40 pounds, and is even denied access to reading 
material so he has almost no way of learning about current events 
outside the prison walls.
  There is only one explanation for such blatant injustices and cruelty 
inflicted on individuals who have done nothing that would remotely 
amount to a crime under international law or in most countries of the 
world, and that is that Daniel Ortega is afraid. He knows that if he 
allows a free and fair election, he and his wife Rosario Murillo, the 
Vice President, would almost certainly lose.

[[Page S7337]]

  The sad reality is that it did not have to be this way. Ortega could 
have chosen a different path, and won the support of the Nicaraguan 
people by trusting them and treating them with respect, and allowing 
those with different views to speak freely. Instead, he chose 
repression and has held onto power through force and by blaming 
everyone but himself for Nicaragua's chronic under-development. On 
November 7, with the opposition silenced and hidden away, he and his 
wife will likely be victorious in another sham election, a farce that 
will fool nobody.
  I join those in condemning the repressive tactics of the Ortega 
government and in calling for the immediate and unconditional release 
of Felix Maradiaga, Juan Sebastian Chamorro, Arturo Cruz, and the many 
other political prisoners falsely accused or imprisoned without charge. 
I urge the Nicaraguan Government to end the repression of dissidents, 
the shootings of peaceful protestors, and the crackdown on press 
freedom and voting rights.
  It is no secret that the United States and Nicaragua have had a 
difficult history. The United States was the primary benefactor of the 
dictatorial Somoza family, which ruled the country for more than four 
decades, enriching themselves and their cronies, and brutalizing their 
opponents. Daniel Ortega had the opportunity to be different, but to 
many Nicaraguans and international observers, he and his wife are even 
worse.
  The Biden administration has already responded to this summer's 
arrests by imposing sanctions on four members of the Ortega government 
and has denied access to visas for 169 Nicaraguans in response to the 
political crackdown. The U.S. actions encouraged the EU and Canada to 
also impose targeted sanctions on Nicaraguans complicit in politically 
motivated crimes.
  I commend the Biden administration, the EU, and the Canadian 
Governments for standing up for the rule of law and the rights of the 
people of Nicaragua. I urge the White House to investigate the assets 
and holdings of the Nicaraguan armed forces in the U.S. and to consider 
appropriate actions to hold its leadership accountable for their role 
in the gross violations of human rights in that country. I encourage 
President Biden to use every diplomatic tool and every form of targeted 
sanctions to obtain the release of Daniel Ortega's prisoners and to 
create the conditions for a genuinely free, fair, and transparent 
election in Nicaragua.

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