U.S. Bars Nicaraguan Interior Vice Minister Over Alleged Torture Role
The United States has barred Nicaragua's Interior Vice Minister over an alleged role in torture linked to President Daniel Ortega's regime. The action, announced this week, blocks the vice minister from entering the United States.
Senator Marco Rubio publicly targeted the official, framing the move as holding accountable figures tied to the "brutal" Ortega government. U.S. officials say such steps are meant to respond to human rights abuses and restrict travel by those accused of involvement in repression.
The measure fits a broader pattern of U.S. actions against Nicaraguan officials accused of rights violations amid years of political crackdowns. Supporters of Nicaragua's government reject the allegations, while U.S. lawmakers and human rights groups say accountability is overdue.
📌 Key Facts
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced sanctions on Nicaraguan Vice Minister of the Interior Luis Roberto Cañas Novoa on Saturday.
- The designation under Section 7031(c) bars Cañas and his immediate family from entering the United States over alleged gross human rights abuses.
- The State Department tied the move to Nicaragua's post-2018 protest crackdown, in which more than 325 protesters were reported killed.
- A U.N.-backed panel has accused the Ortega-Murillo government of abuses 'tantamount to crimes against humanity', which Nicaragua denies.
- The step follows recent U.S. sanctions on five Nicaraguan officials and gold-sector figures, including two of Ortega and Murillo's sons.
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