Another controversial position: the Government avoided condemning Human Rights violations in Nicaragua

Paula Lugones

06/15/2021 4:20 PM

• Clarín.com

• Politics

Updated 06/15/2021 4:27 PM

The Organization of American States (OAS) resolved to condemn this Tuesday in Washington the

arbitrary detention

by the government of Daniel Ortega of

13 opposition leaders

and presidential candidates in

Nicaragua

, a decision that

Argentina did not follow

because it preferred to abstain.

The Permanent Council of the organization was summoned to

an extraordinary virtual session

to discuss the situation in Nicaragua, at the request of Brazil, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, the United States, Peru and Paraguay, another sign of the strong international pressure that these days weighs on the country led since 2014 by

Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo

.

The vote on the resolution was

26 countries in favor

, 5 abstentions and 3 against.

The Nicaraguan government

arrested 13 prominent opposition figures in recent days,

including

Dora María Téllez

, one of the key Sandinista rebels of the late 1970s in Nicaragua, and other Sandinista dissidents and former Ortega allies such as the retired general

Hugo Torres

and

Víctor Hugo Tinoco

, who was vice chancellor between '79 and '90. With them, there are already 13 detainees in recent weeks, including

four candidates for the presidential elections

on November 7 who have now been disqualified.

The majority are accused of conspiring against the independence, sovereignty and determination of Nicaragua ”and of“ inciting foreign interference ”. But other countries in the region and in Europe

consider them "arbitrary", in violation of human rights

and a maneuver by Ortega to

eliminate the opposition

in the face of the next elections, an attitude similar to that of the Chavista regime in Venezuela.

The issue is very sensitive for Argentina, which

has resisted condemning the arrests of opponents in Venezuela

(the OAS denounced that since 2014 there have been more than 15,000 arbitrary detentions).

On the other hand, the position of our country on Nicaragua, a country with which Kircherism had less relationship than the one it established with Venezuelan Chavismo, was being analyzed very carefully, since it is an important issue at this time for Joe's government. Biden and his policy on

human rights in the region

.

The government doubted their vote until the last minute.

One signal was given by Mexico, a country that usually votes in line with Argentina, which on Monday said it was following "with concern" the recent arrests of leaders opposed to Ortega.

In fact, the US Secretary of State,

Anthony Blinken

, called Foreign Minister Felipe Solá on Friday so that Buenos Aires would accompany with its vote the condemnation of the arrests of political leaders in Nicaragua. Argentina finally abstained, along with Mexico.