Nicaragua releases prisoners after US demands

Nicaragua’s government announced it had freed dozens of people from the national penal system, a day after the United States demanded the release of more than 60 political prisoners in the country.

The move comes as Venezuela, also under US pressure, began releasing political prisoners.

The development in Nicaragua reflects the degree of pressure some left-wing governments in Latin America are under to appease US demands, especially after the surprising capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro last week.

Maduro, who says he was kidnapped, faces federal US charges of narco-terrorism and drug trafficking.

The government of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega announced the release of prisoners in a statement on Saturday local time, without confirming the number of people released or whether they were detained for political reasons.

It is unclear whether those released will be placed under house arrest.

A human rights NGO that tracks political prisoners in Nicaragua found that 19 people were released on Saturday.

Ana Margarita Vijil, opposition leader and former prisoner and head of the UNAMOS political movement, told Reuters that those released were “political prisoners and many of them are our friends.”

Vijil said he did not know the number of people involved, but that they included former mayor Oscar Gadea and Evangelical pastor Rudy Palacios and four of their relatives.

Palacios was detained in July after criticizing the government for human rights violations. He also supported demonstrators who took to the streets in 2018 to demand Ortega’s removal.

Ortega responded to the protests with a crackdown that left at least 350 people dead and hundreds detained. He and his wife, Rosario Murillo, control nearly every aspect of the government, including the armed forces and the judiciary.

On Friday, the US embassy in Nicaragua praised the release of opposition figures in Venezuela and urged Ortega’s government to follow in their footsteps.

The embassy said, “More than 60 people, including priests, religious officials, patients and the elderly, are unjustly detained or missing in Nicaragua. Peace is only possible with freedom!” he tweeted.

Liberal Nicaragua, a coalition of opposition groups, praised the release of the prisoners in a statement.

“We have no doubt that such a decision is the result of political pressure exerted by the US government on the dictatorship and political chess moves triggered by events in Venezuela.”