QCOSTARICA – In New York, Costa Rica President Carlos Alvarado, expressed to the United Nations (UN) his concern about the human rights violations that occur in Nicaragua, under the regime of Daniel Ortega, while launching a call in defense of democracy and freedom of expression.
Alvarado, in his message to the UN General Assembly, affirmed Tuesday afternoon: “We reiterate, as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights did a few days ago, Michelle Bachelet, our deep concern about the human rights situation in Nicaragua.
“We are concerned about the imprisonment of political opponents, journalists and students, and we call for democratic institutions, respect and promotion of human rights, freedom of expression and the press have all the conditions in that brother country,” Alvarado said.
The Ortega regime has raided the homes of political opponents, including imprisoning presidential pre-candidates and the media. On August 13, for example, Nicaragua’s National Police loyal to Ortega, raided the premises of the oldest in the country and the only print publication in circulation, La Prensa, on charges of customs fraud and money laundering.
Days ago, the Ortega members also ordered the arrest of the writer Sergio Ramírez, accusing him of acts that “incite hatred” and for “conspiring” against the sovereignty of Nicaragua.
Ramirez, a Nicaraguan writer and intellectual who served in the leftist Government Junta of National Reconstruction and as Vice President of the country 1985-1990 under the presidency of Daniel Ortega, in an interview from Spain said he foresaw the actions that would be taken by his former ally against him and fled Nicaragua months earlier.
The Nicaraguan justice system currently has legal proceedings open against five of seven pre-candidates for the presidency. Cristiana Chamorro, daughter of former Nicaraguan President Violeta Barrios de Chamorro, who was emerging as an important rival of Ortega in the November elections, is one of them.
Her brother, Carlos Chamorro Barrios, an independent investigative journalist and founder and editor of Confidencial, is currently in exile in Costa Rica.
In August, the Nicaraguan Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a letter full of insults to the Government of Costa Rica, upset by the Costa Rican criticism of the outrages committed by the Ortega dictatorship.
Another of the countries that Carlos Alvarado called to respect human rights was Cuba, “so that unilateral measures contrary to international law and that affect the Cuban people cease.”
On the other hand, he asked for solidarity for Haiti, recognized the Falklands as Argentine territory and implored for the abandonment of nuclear weapons on the Korean peninsula.
“We advocate for a nuclear-weapon-free Korean peninsula and that we can build peace, stability and security together,” he said.
Alvarado took the opportunity to express Costa Rica’s position regarding the actions of the Taliban regime: “We cannot fail to honor our international commitments to the women and girls of Afghanistan, we cannot remain silent when the new regime does not allow girls to have an education. Educating girls today is the key to empowering the leaders of tomorrow”.
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