United States officials have successfully negotiated the release of 135 political prisoners from Nicaragua on humanitarian grounds.
In a statement from US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, these individuals are Nicaraguan citizens who had been unjustly detained.
The released prisoners arrived in Guatemala early Thursday morning local time. They will now have the opportunity to apply for relocation to the United States.
The Nicaraguan government, led by President Daniel Ortega, has detained hundreds of individuals since the eruption of mass protests against his administration in 2018.
A recent report by the United Nations human rights office (OHCHR) detailed the worsening human rights conditions in Nicaragua over the past year.
The report highlighted numerous cases of detainees subjected to torture, including sexual abuse and electric shocks.
The OHCHR report noted that persecution in Nicaragua extends beyond dissenters to include any individual or organization operating independently or outside of government control.
The Nicaraguan authorities have shut down over 5,000 non-governmental organizations, private universities, and civil society groups on government orders. Church-affiliated groups have been particularly targeted, with priests and pastors often arrested during religious services.
Among the 135 individuals released are Catholic laypeople, students, and 13 members of the Texas-based evangelical group Mountain Gateway, as stated in the White House release.
This marks the second large-scale release of political prisoners facilitated by the US; the first occurred in February of the previous year when 222 detainees were transported from Managua to the United States.
Rights organizations have long criticized the escalating repression of dissent in Nicaragua. The Nicaraguan government has responded to criticism by revoking the citizenship of those who oppose it and confiscating their property.
In its statement, the White House urged the Nicaraguan government to “cease the arbitrary arrest and detention of its citizens for merely exercising their fundamental freedoms.” The Nicaraguan government has yet to issue a response.
