Spain to offer citizenship to the freed political prisoners of Nicaragua; Report

As the political prisoners of Nicaragua rejoice in their newly found freedom, Spain is all set to offer an opportunity to the freed prisoners to gain citizenship in the European country. Earlier this week, the authoritarian Nicaraguan government released over 200 political prisoners and most of them reached the United States of America as they had to let go of their Nicaraguan citizenship. So in an effort to ensure the proper rehabilitation of the freed prisoners, a spokesperson for the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs told CNN that Spain will extend a helping hand to the Nicaraguan prisoners. However, the spokesperson who wished to remain anonymous did not detail the offer and neither revealed the timeline of it all, CNN reported. 

Meanwhile, the US State Department spokesperson Ned Price revealed on Thursday, that the freed political prisoner will be sent to Washington and will be granted “humanitarian parole,” for 2 years. This parole will help Nicaraguan nationals to stay in the US for at least 2 years. The proclamation from Price came in the midst of rising concerns over the fate of the 222 prisoners who were freed from the Central American country. “Each of the individuals who left Nicaragua voluntarily consented to travel, and there were two individuals who, on their own volition, chose not to travel to the United States,” the US State Department spokesperson asserted. The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken called the release of a US national among the 200 political prisoners a “diplomatic victory,” for the Biden administration. 

What’s happening in Nicaragua? 

On Thursday, Nicaraguan Judge Octavio Rothschuch Adino announced the release of at least 222 political prisoners from the Nicaraguan penitentiary system. However, freedom came with certain restrictions, not only the freed prisoners were barred from contesting elections in the Latin American country, but they also had to renounce their citizenship. “The deportees have been found guilty of treason and charged with serious crimes, they are forever banned from public office and from competing in elections,” Andino stated. The news came after the political prisoners in the country faced immense repression by the authoritarian Nicaraguan administration under President Daniel Ortega. The year 2021, witnessed a major surge of arrests in the country as the draconian administration targeted the political opposition, while the country headed towards the so-called general elections. But what is happening in the Central American country? 

It was the year 1979 when a revolutionary leader of the FSLN party, Daniel Ortega toppled the dictatorial regime of Anastasio Somoza Debayle and ruled the country until 1990. It was the centrist leader, Voleta Chamoro who toppled the Ortega regime following and bloody civil war. However, Ortega made a comeback to mainstream politics in the year 2006 and since then he gradually managed to dismantle the young Nicaraguan democracy. Ortega imposed a dictatorial rule in the country, jailed the opposition, increased nepotism, created mayhem in the country, and even managed to win so-called presidential elections in the country time and time again.  The rule of the 77-year-old president has often been described as “dictatorial”, by several world leaders. However, the Thursday move by the Ortega administration can be seen as a welcome relief for activists around the world.