Amid the growing human rights crisis in Nicaragua, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) today chaired a bipartisan congressional hearing calling attention to the extreme political repression and incarceration of political opponents by President Daniel Ortega.

            Headlined by Bianca Jagger and the wives of two jailed presidential candidates, Smith’s hearing  follows the imprisonment of at least 27 political opponents—including 6 presidential candidates—by Ortega since last month in the run-up to a November presidential election that Ortega would likely lose if held consistent with international standards.

            “The cruelty of the Ortega regime is a consistent cruelty – political prisoners span the gamut of activists on the political Left, often dissident Sandinistas themselves, to those on the political Right,” said Rep. Smith, co-chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission (TLHRC). “And all these democracy fighters – left, right or center – have incurred the wrath of this one man, and his closest cadres, including Daniel Ortega’s wife, Rosario Murillo.”

            “What these courageous advocates have in common is a commitment to democratic principles, and a resistance to tyranny,” said Smith, who met with Ortega in 1984 to confront him over a broad range of human rights abuses, including systematic torture and murder. At that meeting, Smith said he and two other U.S. congressmen were served tainted water by Ortega that left them seriously ill for weeks.

            Bianca Jagger—who also testified at Smith’s hearing on Srebrenica in 1998—noted Ortega’s longtime disregard for human rights: “Through his years in power, he has dismantled all legal and democratic institutions in Nicaragua. His objective is to perpetuate his power at any cost by establishing a new tyrannical dynasty.”

            Entitled “The Ortega Government and the Human Cost of Repression in Nicaragua: Political Prisoners,” the TLHRC hearing included compelling, personal testimony from the wives of two political opponents on the fate of their husbands and the cruelty of the Ortega regime.        

            Victoria Cardenas testified that because her husband, Juan Sebastian Chamorro, dared to speak out against Ortega’s oppression, “the regime has also persecuted and harassed me and my family.  They have brought a civil case against me, my sister, and my mother, which would take away all my mother’s assets.  They have brought a criminal case against me, and there is an open warrant for my arrest. It is clear that Ortega is using every part of Nicaragua’s institutions, including its judicial system, to not only persecute those who challenge the government, but also their family members.”  

            Speaking of her husband, Felix Maradiaga, Berta Valle said: “For years, Felix has been a target of attacks by the Ortega regime because he speaks truth to power.  He has been beaten, confined to house arrest, and threatened.  For months, he endured 24/7 surveillance by the police.  They have tried again and again to silence him, but he never stands down.”

           Rafael Estrada, President of the Nicaraguans for Security and Prosperity Foundation, highlighted the growing crisis in the country: “The situation in Nicaragua is reaching a flashpoint, which is more than likely to lead to more violence and destabilization in the country. The constant persecution of political opponents and independent journalists is unprecedented.”

            In April 2018, the Ortega regime cracked down on widespread protests by the people of Nicaragua, leading to the emergence of an opposition movement calling for a wide range of democratic reforms, including President Ortega’s resignation.

            Despite the protests, Ortega remains in office as hundreds of Nicaraguans have been killed, imprisoned or have fled the country.

            Nicaragua’s presidential election is scheduled to be held later this year on November 7^th.

PHOTOS: Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) chairs a TLHRC hearing on July 21^st examining the political repression in Nicaragua perpetuated by the Ortega regime. Bianca Jagger and the wives—Berta Valles and Victoria Cardenas—of two imprisoned presidential candidates testify at Smith’s hearing.

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