US sanctions Nicaragua officials as Ortega inaugurated again

The U.S. Treasury Department has slapped sanctions on more Nicaraguan officials, on the day President Daniel Ortega is to be sworn following highly questionable elections

MANAGUA, Nicaragua -- The U.S. Treasury Department slapped sanctions on more Nicaraguan officials Monday, the day President Daniel Ortega is to be sworn following highly questionable elections.

The Treasury Department announced it will freeze the U.S. assets of the defense minister, and five other officials in the army, telecom and mining sectors. As with dozens of Nicaraguan officials already under sanctions, U.S. citizens will be prohibited from having dealings with them.

“Since April 2018, the Ortega-Murillo regime has cracked down on political opposition and public demonstrations, leading to more than 300 deaths, 2,000 injuries, and the imprisonment of hundreds of political and civil society actors,” according to a Treasury Department statement. “More than 100,000 Nicaraguans have since fled the country.”

The State Department said Nicaragua “continues to hold 170 political prisoners, with many of those detained suffering from a lack of adequate food and proper medical care.”