EU sanctions against Nicaragua should "start a new era”

The EPP Group welcomes the sanctions by EU Member States against persons linked to the Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, and calls on Ortega to release political prisoners and open the way for elections. The EPP Group was the first political force to ask for these sanctions.

“We hope that these individual sanctions - targeted at 6 high-ranking officials and not affecting in any way the Nicaraguan people - represent a turning point for the country, and that Ortega ceases the repression, which is aggravating the difficulties of the population during these times of the Coronavirus pandemic, releases all political prisoners and takes the necessary steps to advance towards holding free and credible elections", said EPP Group MEPs Leopoldo López Gil, Spokesman for the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly, Isabel Wiseler-Lima, Spokeswoman for Human Rights, and Michael Gahler, Spokesman for Foreign Affairs.

The EPP Group expects this decision to be a turning point for democratisation and respect for civil liberties in the country. "We want this to be the start of a new era", said the three MEPs.

"In recent years, the EPP Group has strongly defended, both in the European Parliament and before the EU Institutions, the need to take action against the Ortega regime and distinctly called for the EU sanctions. If they don’t bring results, the EU should be ready to increase the sanctions and target not only high-ranking officials of the regime, but Ortega and members of his family and government themselves”, the MEPs concluded.

The EPP Group also strongly regrets that Ortega is neglecting and disregarding the seriousness of the Coronavirus pandemic, putting the Nicaraguan people in danger.