WORK BY GLOBAL LIBERTY DEFENSE HIGHLIGHTED IN NICARAGUAN PUBLICATION

​One of the oldest newspaper in Nicaragua, La Prensa, highlighted the efforts by The Global Rule of Law & Liberty Legal Defense Fund in an editorial on entrepreneur and civil society advocate Roberto Bendaña McEwan.

The article discusses the human rights violations, institutional backsliding in Nicaragua, and the unlawful use of the judicial system and international bodies such as INTERPOL to repress critics of the dictatorial regime. 

Jason Poblete, co-founder, the Fund discussed the matter with La Prensa, stating that the abuse of the judicial system and lack of due process in Nicaragua are matters of interest to the United States, because you can’t have successful relations with a country that doesn’t comply with international laws.

The video produced by Global Liberty Defense was shown to U.S. officials in the Congress with the purpose of educating them on the politics in Latin America, focusing on Mr. Bendaña’s story.

Earlier this month, a revised version of the Nicaraguan Investment Conditionality Act of 2017 (“NICA” Act) was re-introduced in the House, which toughens the proposal of conditions on loans from multilateral organizations to the Ortega regime, and holds the regime accountable for fraudulent elections, corruption and human rights abuses.

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​Representatives Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) and Albio Sires (D-NJ) made the following statements after re-introducing the NICA Act;

​Statement by Ros-Lehtinen: “We must continue to hold all governments within Central America to similar standards when it comes to human rights, corruption, and transparency as we examine where to best use U.S. taxpayer dollars and the Ortega regime in Nicaragua is no exception. This version of the NICA Act goes one step further than the previous version Albio and I introduced last Congress by calling for the Ortega regime to actively combat corruption and take significant steps to protect human rights defenders and activists. These are bipartisan concerns, and as many of us have witnessed for over a decade, Ortega’s power grab has brought Nicaragua into a continuous downward spiral. The time to take action is now – for the people of Nicaragua and for their democratic future – before it is too late. The NICA Act will be a powerful tool that can help end the atrocities occurring in Nicaragua and reverse its current destructive trajectory.”

Statement by Sires: “Daniel Ortega and his family continue to amass a great amount of wealth while Nicaragua remains the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. He has spent years repressing the political opposition and has created a de facto monarchy by having his wife take on the role of Vice President. I will continue to fight for the Nicaraguan people until their voices are heard. This important legislation makes it clear that the U.S. will not standby and watch Ortega target human rights defenders and stifle democracy while lining his pockets with cash at the expense of the Nicaraguan people.”

The original article by La Prensa (in Spanish) can be found here.
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OTHER RESOURCES:

• Press Release by Reps. Ros-Lehtinen and Sires – Ros-Lehtinen and Sires Re-Introduce Bipartisan Nicaragua Bill To Hold The Ortega Regime Accountable for Fraudulent Elections, Corruption, and Human Rights Abuses
• H.R.1918 – The Nicaraguan Investment Conditionality Act of 2017 
• Campaign Overview for Roberto Bendaña McEwan – INTERPOL

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