Emotional scenes at Dulles airport as over 200 Nicaraguan prisoners freed and sent to US
Emotional scenes at Dulles airport as over 200 Nicaraguan prisoners freed and sent to US
Over 200 political prisoners in Nicaragua were freed and flown to the United States on Thursday. Among them were five former presidential hopefuls and other prominent opponents of President Daniel Ortega. This is a significant development, more so for US, which has been calling out Nicaragua for its clampdown on human rights and "sham" re-election of Ortega in 2021.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the mass release "opens the door to further dialogue between the United States and Nicaragua regarding issues of concern."Washington has termed this as a constructive step towards enhancing human rights.Nicaraguan government said that it had made "its own decision" to release the prisoners.
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In the lead-up to the Nicaragua elections, many human rights defenders, journalists, and relatives of opponent leaders were "arbitrarily" detained. The arrests were made either "for expressing political views freely or for being perceived as critics of the Government."
As per an earlier report by the UN, "those detained in the infamous El Chipote prison" suffered "inhuman conditions, with limited access to medical care, balanced diets, or regular family contact."
A Nicaraguan judge called the 222 prisoners who had been freed "traitors" and said they had been deported. The government of Nicaragua declared on Thursday that it intended to amend the legislation to let the nation revoke the citizenship of the released inmates.
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Former presidential contenders Juan Sebastian Chamorro, Felix Maradiaga, Miguel Mora, Medardo Mairena, and Arturo Cruz, as well as well-known student activist Lesther Aleman, were among those let free, according to a Nicaraguan court record.
US and Nicaraguan relationship is marred with a bitter history with Washington's occupation of the country from 1912 to 1933 and the human rights abuses of the time.
Dual citizen Michael Healy, who had received a 13-year prison sentence, was also freed, according to Blinken. Just before noon on Thursday, the former prisoners touched down at Dulles International Airport near Washington. Meanwhile, two individuals arrived in the country of the United States of their own free will. It was an emotional moment foractivists and supporters who were gathered to welcome the arrivals.
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