The Organization of American States unanimously approved a resolution calling for the unconditional release of political prisoners, the reestablishment of the separation of powers and conditions to hold free, fair and inclusive elections. The text also creates a monitoring group, but does not contemplate specific sanctions against the Government of Daniel Ortega.
First modification: 03/10/2026 - 03:34Last modification: 03/10/2026 - 04:47
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The Organization of American States (OAS) approved this Friday, in an extraordinary meeting of foreign ministers held in Washington, a resolution that demands that Nicaragua hold elections and the unconditional release of political prisoners, after the Nicaraguan president, Daniel Ortega, announced that there will be no more elections in the country.
The text, approved unanimously, also calls for recovering the separation of powers, disclosing the whereabouts of the disappeared and returning nationality to people who were stripped of it, but does not include the imposition of specific sanctions for the Government of Ortega and his wife, Rosario Murillo.
The OAS had called an extraordinary meeting of foreign ministers, but only seven of the 34 member states sent their foreign ministers: Guatemala, Paraguay, Jamaica, Peru, Dominican Republic, Saint Lucia and Haiti. The others sent lower-ranking delegates.
The resolution, promoted by the United States, Argentina, Colombia, Paraguay, Peru and the Dominican Republic, urges the Nicaraguan authorities to establish the conditions for "the holding of free, fair and inclusive elections."
It also creates a ministerial monitoring group on Nicaragua that must establish dialogues with the Nicaraguan authorities and the opposition, and present a series of recommendations within 90 days.
Read alsoThe number of Nicaraguan exiles detained by ICE in the United States grows
Brazil, which had voted against calling this meeting, stressed its opposition to any reference that points to Nicaragua as "a possible threat to regional peace and security."
The OAS had not called a consultation meeting of the Foreign Ministers since 2019, when the organization addressed the political and human rights crisis in Venezuela.
The organization decided to take action after Ortega declared on July 19 that there would be no more elections in Nicaragua, after which the Nicaraguan Government promoted a constitutional reform to prevent the electoral participation of people considered "traitors to the country", in a reference to the opposition.
During the meeting this Friday, the United States Undersecretary of State, Christopher Landau, denounced that the "dictatorship" of Nicaragua has vetoed the new American ambassador to the country, Natasha Franceschi, ratified last Wednesday by the Senate.
Read also “He neither sells nor gives up”: Ortega challenges the US while consolidating a "dynasty" in Nicaragua
For his part, the Dominican Foreign Minister, Víctor 'Ito' Bisonó, announced his country's decision to close its embassy in Nicaragua while "the conditions" of deteriorating democracy persist.
The Secretary General of the OAS, Albert Ramdin, stated that it is "urgent" for the nation to recover constitutional order and asked member states to act using tools such as economic sanctions that do not affect the population, as well as financial and travel restrictions for certain authorities.
Meanwhile, the rapporteur of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) for Nicaragua, Rosa María Payá, defined the country as a "police state" that uses its "transnational architecture" to intimidate and attack its nationals abroad.
The meeting did not include representatives from Nicaragua, given that the country left the Pan American organization in 2023 by order of Ortega.
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