The authoritarian leader of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, was decorated by the Communist Party of Russia under the logic that he “contributes to peace.”
Ortega received the distinction of the first vice president of the Committee for International Affairs of the State Duma (Lower Chamber of the Russian Parliament), Dmitry Georgievich Novikov in a private ceremony over the weekend in Managua.
Novikov said this award is “in recognition of his (Ortega) contribution to peace and the work of progressive governments, as well as his contribution to the relationship between the countries of the world and between Russia and Nicaragua.”
The Russian bestowed the decoration to Ortega on behalf of Russian President Vladimir Putin and the president of the Russian Communist Party Gennady Zyuganov.
Paradoxically Ortega, decorated for defending peace, governs Nicaragua with an iron hand and is accused of sending paramilitaries, anti-riot squads and police to repress unarmed citizens who have been protesting since April 2018.
Article originally appeared on Today Nicaragua and is republished here with permission.