Nicaragua Plunges Deeper Into Authoritarianism

BIANCA JAGGER, FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT, BIANCA JAGGER HUMAN RIGHTS FOUNDATION: Well, the U.S. has done quite a lot. It is my hope, now that President Biden is in the U.K., that perhaps he will say a few words about Nicaragua. That will be greatly appreciated by the people in Nicaragua at this moment, who feel so threatened by these murderous dictators. And I will say that the U.N. and other organizations have accused him of committing crimes against humanity. And I am speaking because, as you mentioned, there have been seven opposition leaders who have been arrested. And I know of four presidential candidates who have been detained. Some of them are arrested. Some, like Cristiana Chamorro, are hostage in her own home, incommunicado, and who have no access to speak to anyone. They have taken her phone, her computer. I have a friend of mine who is a presidential candidate, Felix Maradiaga, who has a health problem. They’re not allowing him to have his medicine. And then, of course, it is all of the others who are candidates and people that I know, who are friends of mine, and for who I feel very, very concerned about what will happen to them, not forgetting the more than 100 political prisoners that are at the moment in the Nicaraguan jail. And so the possibility and the prospectus for a free, fair and democratic election is too far lost in the sky at this moment. And so what I will say is that I hope that not only the U.S. will impose sanctions on specific criminal individuals, like they are doing so carefully, but that the European Union, Canada and the governments who are part of the OAS will finally make the decision to impose Article 21 and the democratic charter. I know that the secretary-general from the OAS, Luis Almagro, has written to say that this is very important that they have an emergency meeting. And I hope that will take place. I just listened a very important meeting with the (AUDIO GAP) Spain–

GOLODRYGA: Right.

JAGGER: — with (AUDIO GAP) and the president of Costa Rica and the president of Guatemala, where they addressed the issue of refugees and

(AUDIO GAP)

GOLODRYGA: Right.

JAGGER: — more than 100,000 people who are refugees and on exile in Costa Rica.