Narayan AmmachchiThe European Union has prohibited the Vice President and First Lady of Nicaragua, Rosario Murillo, from traveling to Europe, in addition to calling for a freezing of their assets in its member countries.
The sanction comes in response to President Daniel Ortega’s continued detention of opposition figures.
Murillo is reportedly as powerful as President Daniel Ortega in the government, as she has a say on all administrative decisions.
The EU has also imposed sanctions on eight other senior government officials, including a younger member of Ortega’s family.
More than a dozen senior politicians have been detained in Nicaragua, particularly those wanting to run for president in the elections scheduled for November this year.
As many as six presidential hopefuls have been detained, including Miguel Mora, Félix Maradiaga, Juan Sebastián Chamorro, Cristiana Chamorro, and daughter of ex-President Violeta Chamorro.
Ortega argues that the detained politicians had plotted a coup to overthrow his regime and that they were backed by what he calls “imperial powers”.
The EU has made it clear that its sanctions will not hurt the Nicaraguan economy or any ordinary citizen in the country.
The EU has also urged private firms in its territory not to have any relationship with any business organizations run by these Nicaraguan officials.
The United States has also imposed similar sanctions on the ruling dynasty, accusing it of undermining democracy and violating human rights.
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