Nicaragua’s government announced Saturday it released dozens of prisoners from the national penitentiary system. The announcement comes after Friday’s demand by the United States to release 60 political prisoners in the country.
It also follows a week of regional tension after the U.S. military’s operation in Venezuela on Jan. 3, which resulted in the capture of its president, Nicolás Maduro.
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The former Venezuelan president faces charges of narcoterrorism and drug trafficking in the U.S. —charges he has denied.
The U.S. Embassy issued a statement praising Venezuela’s recent release of opposition figures and urged Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega’s government to take similar action.
“In Nicaragua, more than 60 people remain unjustly detained or missing, including pastors, religious workers, the sick and the elderly. Peace is only possible with freedom!” the Embassy had posted on social media.
Nicaragua’s Interior Ministry said Saturday that the released inmates would be allowed to return to their homes and families, though it was not immediately clear who was freed or under what conditions. According to The Associated Press, human rights organizations tracking political prisoners in Nicaragua identified 19 people released on Saturday.
This weekend marks 19 consecutive years in power in Nicaragua for Ortega, serving alongside his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, since 2007.
“Nicaraguans voted for a president in 2006, not a lifetime of an illegitimate dynasty. Rewriting the constitution and crushing dissent won’t erase Nicaraguans’ aspirations to live free from tyranny,” the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs said.
