The US Department of the Treasury on Wednesday slapped sanctions on the daughter of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and a top army official, a day after the arrests of two more potential opposition candidates for the presidency.
The US said that the sanctions are intended to force the Ortega regime to return to democratic procedures.
Ortega’s daughter Camila Ortega Murillo became the 31st official or relative of the Ortega regime to have their US assets blocked since 2017.
The sanctions also prohibit US citizens from dealing with them.
Also sanctioned were the leader of Ortega’s Sandinista party in the Nicaraguan Congress, the head of
Nicaraguan authorities on Tuesday (8 June) detained a third potential presidential candidate amidst a deepening crackdown by President Daniel Ortega, branded a "dictator" by the United States, ahead of elections later this year.
Nicaragua arrests opposition figures
NEW TREASON LAW: Police arrested two opposition members who could pose a challenge to the country’s president, prompting criticism from a US official
AP, MANAGUA
Nicaragua’s National Police on Tuesday arrested two more potential challengers to Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, the third and fourth opposition pre-candidates for the Nov. 7 elections detained in the past week.
Felix Maradiaga was arrested after being called to the Nicaraguan Attorney General’s Office to provide a statement. He is being investigated for alleged crimes against the government.
His campaign said in a statement that police stopped him, his driver and his lawyer after they had left the Attorney General’s Office.
MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) The U.S. Treasury Department slapped sanctions on the daughter of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and a top army official Wednesday, a day after the arrests of two more potential opposition candidates for the presidency.