Arrest Warrant Issued for Nicaragua’s Daniel Ortega

There is a bit of an international buzz going on today after Argentina made a very aggressive move against the president of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega.

On Monday, Argentina’s judiciary issued an international arrest warrant for Ortega.

The ruling calls for Ortega's extradition for alleged human rights violations.

Making Their Move

In addition to the arrest of Ortega, the ruling also called for 17 additional people to be questioned in Argentina, which included Ortega’s wife, Rosario Murillo.

The initial complaint was filed by attorneys Diego Pirota and Darío Richarte.

The attorneys alleged very serious human rights violations “in which high authorities of the Republic of Nicaragua have participated.”

The order by Judge Ariel Lijo stated that there is an existence of a “strategic plan of repression deployed in Nicaragua that involved all levels of the political and judicial power of the state.”

He goes on to describe that the plan carried out “arbitrary imprisonments, assassinations, torture, forced disappearance of persons, forced displacement of populations, deportations, media censorship, deprivation of medical care, termination of professional licenses, persecution for political and religious reasons, cancellations of legal status and deprivations of nationality.”

Ortega has been in power since 2007, now serving his fifth term in office.

After taking office, Ortega had the Supreme Court make changes to the constitution that enabled him to continue to run for office.

He also deported several hundred prisoners as well as stripping 94 people of their citizenship and assets.

I have been to Nicaragua twice, and I can tell you firsthand the people of this country are proud, but they despise their government.

The conditions some of these people are forced to live in are despicable, and even some of the “wealthier” communities are anywhere near what we would have here in the United States.

I, for one, would love to see Argentina able to deliver on this warrant and remove Ortega from power.