PanamaTimes

Friday, Mar 29, 2024

Nicaragua’s OAS ambassador resigns, slams nation’s ‘dictatorship’

Nicaragua’s OAS ambassador resigns, slams nation’s ‘dictatorship’

Arturo McFields said he was speaking on behalf of political prisoners and the hundreds who lost their lives since 2018.

Nicaragua’s ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS) Arturo McFields has condemned the government of President Daniel Ortega, accusing it of repressing the political opposition, human rights abuses and cracking down on freedom of speech.

In a video address posted on Twitter on Wednesday McFields said he was speaking up on behalf of dozens of political prisoners and more than 300 people who have died in the country since protests broke out against Ortega in 2018.

He said he was frightened to speak against Ortega’s government, but said he “had to talk even if my future and that of my family is now uncertain”.

“Denouncing the dictatorship of my country is not easy,” he said. “But to continue remaining silent and defending the indefensible, is impossible.”

McFields also said he had resigned as ambassador.

The United States and the European Union said Daniel Ortega’s last election was illegitimate and have pressed him to hold new elections and release more than 160 prisoners


McFields’ comments came the same week that a judge sentenced former presidential candidate Cristiana Chamorro to eight years detention for financial crimes, in a case the opposition said was politically motivated.

Chamorro led Ortega in several polls when she was arrested last June. Ortega won re-election to serve a fourth consecutive term in November after at least 46 opposition figures, including six presidential candidates, were detained.

Chamorro’s brother, Pedro Joaquin Chamorro was convicted of various financial crimes on March 11 and received a nine-year sentence. They are children of former President Violeta Barrios de Chamorro, who defeated Ortega in the 1990 elections to end his first term in power.

The government, which has long argued that opponents of Ortega have been attempting to overthrow him with foreign support, did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

The United States and European Union have imposed sanctions on Ortega, his wife who serves as his vice president, and his associates.

“We commend Ambassador Arturo McFields for his courage in resigning his position as Nicaragua’s ambassador to the OAS,” Bradley Freden, the US’s interim representative to the OAS said in a tweet.


OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro also applauded McFields’ “courage”, saying in a tweet that “this is the ethically correct position.”

McFields also pointed to the closures of nongovernmental organisations and curbs on the media, and said elections in the Central American country were “not credible”.

The diplomat is the first Afro-Nicaraguan to represent his country before the OAS, is a former journalist who had worked at Nicaragua’s embassy and its OAS mission — both in Washington — before presenting his credentials as ambassador on November 5.

McFields said that he had tried to get at least 20 elderly political prisoners released, but “in the government, nobody listens and nobody speaks.”

“I want to tell you that people inside and outside are tired, tired of the dictatorship and its actions, and more and more people are going to say ‘enough,'” he said in the video.

Newsletter

Related Articles

PanamaTimes
0:00
0:00
Close
Apple warns against drying iPhones with rice
In a recent High Court hearing, the U.S. argued that Julian Assange endangered lives by releasing classified information.
Global Law Enforcement Dismantles Lockbit Ransomware Operation
Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny has died at the Arctic prison colony
The President of Argentina Javier Mile does not fly private, he flies commercial, with the citizens he represents. And they LOVE him for it.
Bitcoin Reaches $50,000 for First Time in Over Two Years
Belo Horizonte: Brazil's Rising Carnival Hotspot for 2024
In El Salvador, the 'Trump of Latin America' stuns the world with a speech slamming woke policing after winning a landslide election
Tucker’s interview with Putin is over 50M views on X within the first 5 hours.
Finnish Airline, Finnair, is voluntarily weighing passengers to better estimate flight cargo weight
President Nayib Bukele has proudly announced El Salvador's remarkable achievement of becoming the safest nation in the Western Hemisphere.
Former Chilean President Sebastian Piñera Dies in Helicopter Crash
This farmer seems to understand science a bit more than the event organizer, Klaus Schwab.
Facebook turns 20: From Mark Zuckerberg's dormitory to a $1trn company
The Coolest Dictator in the World" on the Path to Victory in El Salvador
Macron, France and fake news
Indian-Origin Man 'King' Arrested For Smuggling $16 Million Drugs Into US
Can someone teach Americans that not every person with slanted eyes is Chinese?
Europe's Farmers Feeding the People, Protesting Against Politicians Who Do Nothing for Their Country and Serve Only Themselves at Taxpayers' Expense
Paris Restaurant That Inspired 'Ratatouille' Loses $1.6 Million Worth Of Wine
Brazilian Police Investigate Bolsonaro's Son for Alleged Illegal Spying
Police in Brazil Raid Residence of Bolsonaro Associate Over Allegations of Illegal Spying
Border Dispute Escalates as Texas Governor Vows Increased Razor Wire
OpenAI Enhances ChatGPT-4 Model, Potentially Addressing AI "Laziness" Issue
The NSA finally acknowledges spying on Americans by acquiring sensitive data
Report Reveals Toxic Telegram Group Generating X-Rated AI-Generated Fake Images of Taylor Swift
US Border Patrol States 'No Plans' to Remove Razor Wire Installed in Texas
Bitcoin Experiences Approximately 20% Decline in Value
Klaus Schwab recently appointed himself as the Earth's "trustee of the future."
DeSantis Drops Out, Endorses Trump.
Nikki Haley said former President Trump is "just not at the same level" of mental fitness as he was while president in 2016.
Residents of a southern Mexican town set the government palace on fire in response to the police killing of a young man
Samsung Launches AI-Driven Galaxy S24, Ushering in New Smartphone Era
Judge Questions SEC's Regulatory Overreach in Coinbase Lawsuit
The Ecuador prosecutor who was investigating the television studio attack, has been assassinated.
Is artificial intelligence the solution to cyber security threats?
Vivek Ramaswamy suspends his US election campaign and endorses Trump.
Viral Satire: A Staged Satirical Clip Mistaken as Real Footage from the 2024 World Economic Forum in Davos
The AI Revolution in the Workforce: CEOs at Davos Predict Major Job Cuts in 2024
Ecuador Reports 178 Hostages in Prison Gang Standoff
The Startling Cuban Espionage Case That Has Rattled the US Government
Two Armed Men in Ecuador, Dressed as Batman and The Joker Storm the Streets.
Armed Gang Raids Ecuadorian TV Station Following State of Emergency Declaration
Anti-Democratic Canada: Journalist Arrested for Questioning Canadian Finance Minister on Support of Terrorist Group
Ecuador's 'Most-Wanted' Criminal Vanishes from Prison
Mexican Cartel Supplied Wi-Fi to Locals Under Threat of Fatal Consequences for Non-Compliance
Border Surge Leads to Over 11,000 Migrants Waiting in Northern Mexico
Outsider Candidates Triumph in Latin American Elections
As Argentina Goes to the Polls, Will the Proposal to Replace the Peso with the Dollar Secure Votes?
Fatal Shark Attack Claims Life of Boston Woman Paddleboarding Near Bahamas Resort, According to Police
×