Nicaraguan ambassador has turned against his own government, saying Nicaraguans are tired of Ortega’s “dictatorship”.

In a video address to the Organization of American States (OAS), Arturo McFields, Nicaragua’s ambassador to the OAS, said, “I speak for more than 177 political prisoners and more than 350 people who have lost their lives in my country since 2018.”

“Denouncing my country’s dictatorship is not easy, but remaining silent and defending the untenable is impossible,” he said.

McFields, who took office in November 2021, said he spoke out despite his fear. “I need to speak, even though my future and that of my family is uncertain,” he said.

“As of 2018, Nicaragua is the only country in Central America that does not have printed newspapers. There is no freedom to publish a simple tweet, [of posting] a simple comment on social media. There are no human rights organizations… They have all been shut down, expelled or shut down. There are no independent political parties, there are no credible elections, no separation of powers.”

CNN could not reach the Nicaraguan government for comment.

However, Nicaraguan state media released a letter to Twitter stating that McFields does not represent Ortega’s government and that the country’s ambassador to the OAS is Francisco Campbell Hooker, who is “properly accredited.”

CNN has reached out to the OAS for comment.

Tens of thousands of Nicaraguans have fled their homes to avoid persecution since 2018, as Ortega’s administration cracked down on widespread anti-regime protests, killing hundreds, injuring thousands and arbitrarily arresting many. according to Human Rights Watch.

Ortega claimed a fifth term as president last November. In June 2021, his government began using a vague national security law as justification to jail opposition presidential candidates, opposition leaders, journalists, human rights activists and others ahead of November’s elections.

At least 40 members of the opposition were found guilty of conspiring to undermine national integrity and committing financial crimes, CNN reported on Tuesday. They include former presidential candidate Cristiana Chamorro Barrios, who was sentenced to eight years in prison for financial crimes on Monday, according to a Nicaraguan human rights NGO.

As he neared the end of his speech, McFields said he was hopeful because people inside and outside government are “tired of dictatorship and their actions.”

“People can be fooled for some time, but not always,” McFields said. “God takes his time sometimes. But never, Mr President, God never forgets.”

In a tweet, OAS President Luis Almagro said he appreciated McFields’ courage. “That’s the ethical position,” Almagro said.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also welcomed the ambassador’s statements say in a tweet“We commend Ambassador McFields for courage in giving a voice to the millions of Nicaraguans hoping for a return to democracy.”

https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/23/americas/nicaragua-ambassador-ortega-comments-intl-latam/index.html Nicaraguan ambassador has turned against his own government, saying Nicaraguans are tired of Ortega’s “dictatorship”.