U.S. condemns ‘Ortega regime’ amid deadly protests in Nicaragua

Alisdare Hickson / CC BY-SA 2.0

Last week, Nicaragua marked the 39th anniversary of the end of the Somoza dictatorship amidst violent protests that have taken the lives of more than 300 people. Nicaraguans are demanding that President Daniel Ortega step down, as he receives pressure from the international community to stop repression towards citizens. The Trump administration spoke out against the unrest in Nicaragua and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo condemned President’s Ortega regime.

Manuel Orozco, Director of the Migration, Remittances and Development Program of the Inter-American Dialogue, talked with CBS News about Ortega’s regime and the need for a democratic solution.

Comments by Manuel Orozco:

"I think what you see is the typical script of a dictatorship. They try to bring into the streets as many people as possible to show the pretense of popular support. The number of people who support him is significantly small. In practical terms, it's less than one in ten Nicaraguans. The substantive support he has comes from the state security forces: the police and army."

“The US has been pushing sanctions on the dictatorship of Ortega. [Pompeo's statement], is a warning that if the Ortega government does not go back to the negotiation table, the United States will increase the sanctions particularly against the [Ortega] family.”

“Nicaragua has to follow a democratic path out of the Ortega’s regime. Mr. Ortega accumulated practically absolute power from 2007 to the present; he controls the Supreme Court, the Elections Committee, the National Assembly and the security forces. In that sense, it is an unsustainable situation in terms of the need for a democracy. Moving forward, there should be an increase in pressure to remind him that he may actually face jail time if he continues to refuse resignation.”

Watch the full interview on CBS News: